Shadow of the Lightning Kitsune
by LynnGryphon
Summary: [HPNaruto][No Romance!] The Powers That Be have their own agenda and send Harry a little help in a surprising package. Can Harry survive in the ninja world or will his new friends and mentor kill him before Voldemort gets the chance?
1. Not So Loony Luna Lovegood

**Title: **Shadow of the Lightning Kitsune

**Chapter: **Prologue - Not So Loony Luna

**Beta: **None

**Rating: T **(swearing, not fully thought out math)

**Date / Words: **Nov 5, 2007 **(revised) /**1740

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**AN: Revised **into past tense instead of bastardized present tense. Attempted to fill a minor plot hole concerning Luna's age. Some minor added content near the end.

**Original AN: **

**AN**: Okay, I'm currently being over-run by rabid plot bunnies and this one somehow managed to bite me in the ass along with his companion Chapter 1 Bunny. Yep, I'm currently working on chapter 1 of this as well as Surprises, D5, and another evil bunny. I've been reading a lot of the independent, dark but not evil! Harry's recently and figured I'd try my hand at this. I'm trying to avoid the huge cliche's like James or Lily being a ninja, Ninja family member suddenly emerging and claiming Harry, Golden Trio suddenly stumbling upon the info in the library, etc etc. Tell me what you think won't ya?

**Warnings**: Some swearing.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own HP or Naru just the bastard plot bunny that sired this...

"..." talking

:: talking :: Parseltongue (I will explain Hermione and Ron later)

* * *

"What the hell do they expect you to do mate?" 

Chuckling mirthlessly he replied, "They expect me to die."

"What? Harry no –"

"Yeah Hermione, they do. I'm their little weapon, expected to come when called then disappear back into my cupboard until I'm called again. They know I'm powerful and no one knows my full potential, even me! What the hell do you do to a weapon with no war to fight?"

"Destroy it," was the faint, tremulous answer.

"Hell mate we can't, you can't, let that happen! Especially when everyone is counting on you to save our collective bloody arses!"

"Thanks Ron." He smirked then quickly sobered. "Yeah mates, they'll destroy me. I'm too powerful, too big a threat to too many people. Why do you think they give me no real training and almost all our previous DADA teachers sucked arse?" He chuckled bitterly and, with a quick exchange of glances, was engulfed in the arms of his two best mates. Holding on tightly to their only anchoring points in their tumultuous times, the Golden Trio tried to think of something.

::We have to get you trained Harry and not just magically. Wizards depend so much on their magic and wands most are defenseless when unarmed.::

Ron smirked and Hermione rolled her eyes. ::Yes Ron, you are one of the few and far between wizards who is just as dangerous unarmed, possibly more so. How are your brothers anyway?:: Hermione smirked at Ron's grumbling.

::Gred and Forge would be more than happy to provide new toys but are too closely monitored for anything more. Bill would help in a heart beat but we'd have to find a way to get to Egypt. Same for Charlie expect getting to Romania and from there we could just hop between them.::

Harry shook his head. ::That would work for you two but not me. The name Harry Potter is too big, if Britain makes a big enough stink I'd be back here on the fastest international portkey and then Bill and Charlie would be monitored like the twins.::

Three faces settled into Snape-worthy scowls. ::Damn Flaming Turkeys. Just know that the Weasley boys are with you Har.::

::Hey!:: Ron chuckled at his girlfriend's scowl. ::Okay, Weasley boys plus Hermione.:: Hermione harrumphed::Thank you.::

Harry chuckled softly before sobering again. ::You two should hook up with the others. I think I'm going to be stuck going solo just to protect our key players. Of course, I need to find a bloody instructor and location that won't blow my cover sky high. Damn.:: He sighed heavily and pulled apart from the hug, Ron and Hermione followed.

"Don't worry mate, this counts as a life or death situation." Ron grinned. The other two look at him like he just became one of Luna Lovegood's infamous creatures. Cheeks pinking he scowled. "Potter Luck remember? Harry gets into a life or death situation and something just happens to occur in the nick of time to save him? Sound familiar?"

"You really shouldn't have continued Potions Ron, I think Snape is rubbing off on you mate," Harry pout. Hermione snickered beside him and Harry's pout deepened causing Ron to join in snickering. "And you wonder why you're the hottest item male or female in Hogwarts." Blushing and scowling he flicked his wand at his two best friends pushing them a few feet toward the castle. Getting the hint they wave and continue into the castle still snickering.

Huffing in annoyance he turned to head for the lake and nearly had a heart attack as he comes face to face with Luna 'Loony' Lovegood. Coughing and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly he managed a weak, "Hey Luna."

Luna smiled dreamily, "Hey Harry. They're right you know, you're too cute to not be the number one bachelor in Hogwarts." Cue blush and scowl. "Luna this is hardly the Dating Game." Vague eyes and dreamy smile suddenly melt into calculative and secretive respectively. "Oh I don't know Harry. Whoever can claim the status as Harry Potter's significant other will hold power and status in the school hierarchy. Just like who can claim The Boy Who Lived can claim this war." Shrewd and intelligent green eyes narrow and analyze this new Luna. Twirling his wand three times the duo become unseen, unheard, and unfound.

"Now, who are you and what have you done to Luna?"

"I am Luna 'Loony' Lovegood, Harry. Just an earlier version of her if you will." Harry blinked and then scowled as realization hit, "Reincarnation."

"Bingo! I heard of your little problem with certain elements of this war and I thought we might help each other."

"Hold on a minute. Reincarnated souls lose their memories of their previous life and any activity in that previous soul fragment becomes dormant. You are obviously active and aware of your past."

Luna smirked, a disturbing sight to see on the normally dreamy Ravenclaw. "Simple, I was never fully merged with my new soul. Ah ah, don't interrupt and I'll explain. Now, you must understand two things first. One, Death holds all the cards and can do whatever the hell he wants with those in his domain. Two, Death exists outside time and can thus manipulate it.

"Okay, get ready for a headache. Twenty years ago a fox demon, yes demon, attacked my Village and destroyed half of it easy. In order to save my Village I sealed the demon's soul inside my newborn son's body. To do that I literally made a deal with Death. In exchange for my soul the fox demon's spirit was separated from his body and sealed while Death trapped the fox's physical body and myself outside time. So far so good?

"Remember that Death holds all the cards? He got bored and with me and the fox there he decided to play. Now, onto a related tangent about demon breeding. Don't look at me like that! Hmph, now where was I? Oh yeah! Demons can breed two ways – normally and asexually. You need to know about the asexual bit.

"Demons are the ultimate in pureblooded elitism – they will next to never interbreed with humans and will never crossbreed with other demon types. It is extremely rare for a half breed demon to live to adulthood. If there are no more demons of a certain type, the last demon can literally split itself to create a second demon, male or female. Normally this is done by combining a bit of their physical being, part of their energy, a piece of their soul and voila! Newborn demon! Okay, lets apply it like this – one used demon body infused with it old soul's energy minus said spirit. Now, put pre-made demon body into center of Death's domain and let sit 20 years."

Harry growled and began pacing within the confines of his wards. "So lemme guess. Demon got soul, demon got reincarnated, demon is currently sitting inside me, demon is reason for absurdly huge magical core and all Unforgivables either not working or working only partially. Right?" he snapped, eyes glowing AK green.

"Uh…exactly?"

"Addendum to Potter's Luck: There is no such thing as serendipity. All good or seemingly trivial things come back and bite Potters in the arse. Hard.

"Addendum Two: There is no such thing as coincidence.

"So it only makes sense that when a reincarnated soul offering me a deal for what I want mentions a demon fox…"

"Ah, makes sense then. So yeah, only your version of the fox demon isn't completely awake or fully merged and only has seven tails and is the offspring of the Kyuubi no Kitsune or Kyuubi no Youko, whichever name you prefer."

Cue gaping like a landed fish and accompanying stuttering. "K-Kyuubi no K-Kitsune? Seven bloody fuckin' hells! Even I've heard of the Nine Tailed Demon Fox. And you're telling me that I have his bastard offspring inside me?"

"Hai, err…righto kiddo. So, what do you say.?"

"I say you finish your explanation. You explained Death holding all the cards and demon breeding and my being a demon's flippin' reincarnation. Why did I need to know about Death and time?"

"Eesh, no need to get testy. You remember I said I died twenty years ago when I sealed Kyuubi away? Well, my kid is currently 13."

"What?" Harry scratched his head in confusion. The math just wasn't coming to him.

"Death exists outside of the time stream, one of the perks of being Time's boyfriend. Don't give me that look! Really, anyhow…another perk is he can see all times and all realities. Now, just because he's Death doesn't mean he supports mass killing, paperwork ya know? So, he has been known to sweet talk Time and manipulate a few poor dearly departed bastards into regulating and preventing these mass genocides. Thus me and Kyuu being plunked back in the time streams three years before we even died. Don't think too hard, trust me, contemplating paradox is a bitch and you will never win." Shudders wracked Luna-but-not-Luna's body. (1)

"Okayyy then...so what do you want from me?"

"The obvious. I know I screwed Naruto over but if he was in my shoes I know he would've done the same thing. I can hope in my heart that the villagers will treat him well but the realist in me says that it will never happen. Sooo...I decided to make a deal. You look after my son, guide him, protect him, everything and I make sure you get the training you require."

"Understandable. So, explain a bit more about me getting training like what type, where, when, ya know?."

"Hand to hand, stealth, tactics, chakra use, working with teammates. You know, basic stuff." Not Luna shrugged, "As for where and when, my home and now."

Harry paced slowly around the perimeter of his wards, rubbing his scar unconsciously in a thoughtful gesture. Not Luna rocked slowly back and forth, quietly watching Harry's internal debate. What felt like an eternity later, Harry stopped and turned his penetrating gaze on Not Luna. "I'll do it."

Not Luna grinned a huge foxy grin and pumped her fist into the air. "Yosh! Thank you! I'll pop you just outside Konoha with the basic culture info and language in your head. Sound good?"

"Just one question. Who the hell are you?"

A somber smirk replaced the foxy grin. "Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze." (2)

* * *

1 - Someone pointed out that Luna was actually a year younger than Harry. So, instead of 2 years I made it 3. Let that fill in the age gap or make up your own reason. 

2 - Popular opinion says that is his actual name. Just for my sanity, I changed it from Arashi Kazama to Minato Namikaze. Besides, I think the second name sounds better.


	2. Meeting Haku

**Title: **Shadow of the Lightning Kitsune

**Chapter: **01 - Meeting Haku

**Beta: **None

**Rating: T **(swearing, not fully thought out math)

**Date / Words: **Nov 5, 2007 **(revised) /**1274

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

* * *

**-/- Mindscape -/-**

"Ooh...That's it, damn all awake reincarnated souls, Potter's Luck, and deals with Death, middle man or no! That was worse than a portkey!"

/_Agreed whelp_./ A deep, powerful voice rumbled sleepily within his subconscious.

"Once again, damn my Potter's Luck. I thought you were supposed to be asleep."

The darkness of Harry's subconscious slowly contracted and lightened becoming a lush, rich field full of highgrass and scatterings of wild flowers. Looking around Harry whistled softly.

"Is it me or is this just a little too peaceful to belong to me?"

/_That's because you're in my subconscious human. Your fucked up head is on the left_./

Harry looked left and shuddered.

The left horizon was dark and grey, piled high with storm clouds snapping out bolts of Avada Kedavra green lightning. The sickly green bolts reveal the cemetery outside Little Hangleton from the Tri-Wizard Tournament. In the middle of the hated cemetery, in a place of honor, was the house of Number 4 Privet Drive looking freakishly pristine in the center of hell. For this was certainly Harry's personal Hell.

"Yep. That is definitely mine." Shudders wracked his body, both real and imaginary, and he promptly turned back to the field.

"Alright. So, where are you? Hells, who are you?"

/_You mean besides a reincarnated fox demon and voice in the back of your head?_/ The voice chuckled maliciously causing the landscape to shake and tremble. /_I am Shichibi no Youko, the Seven-Tailed Demon Fox and offspring of the greatest biju, Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox!_/ The voice boomed with no little pride and Harry covered his ears reflexively.

He swallowed audibly and his eyes darted about the shaking landscape, looking for the voice's owner. "Yeah, real impressive, too scared to even show your face fox?"

The resulting laughter sent Harry to the ground as above him two massive gleaming yellow eyes appeared. /_You've got stones boy, I'll give you that. The question becomes, is that a good thing or a bad thing?_/ A neutral rumble knocked Harry back to the ground.

/_As for where...You should just stay away from any form of transportation you don't have full control over idiot child. We, or should I say _you_, are currently unconscious in the middle of Wave Country. No Golden Kit, no Fire Country, and too _much_ time...and currently being surrounded by thugs._/ A malicious thundering laugh deafened the trembling fifteen year old. /_You truly are a curséd child aren't you?_/

Harry was thrown from his mindscape to the sound of Shichibi's roaring laughter.

**-/- Reality -/-**

"Oh...my head..."

The black haired boy shifted around uncomfortably on the thin surface, trying to ease the tension in his body, the rustling of the sheets loud in the quiet room. _'Wait...rustling sheets? What the hell?'_ Shifting around once more confirmed he was laying on a hard pallet, non-existent pillow, with a coarse sheet pulled over him. Turning his head to the side he opened his eyes to a world of blurs. He vaguely noted the feeling of leaves and twigs in his hair, confirming his...it's...the fuzzball's words. _'That's rich, Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, shit scared of a pair of giant yellow eyes and a rumbling voice living in my head. Keh, and people thought I was crazy before...Damnit, where are my glasses?'_

Pushing himself into a sitting position, he gasped and clutched his head as pain exploded in his temples. Screwing his eyes shut to stop the overwhelming sense of vertigo, he startled violently when something suddenly grabbed his shoulder. The pallet dipped when the thing, no person, sat and the hand on his shoulder left to gently but firmly pull his hands from his head. Tilting his chin up the person placed a clay rim against his lips, urging him to drink the softly steaming liquid. Sending up a quick prayer it wasn't poison, Harry drank the warm liquid. Warmth settled in his stomach and quickly spread throughout, easing the aches and pains he had from his impromptu traveling, and most importantly, easing his headache back down to a manageable level.

"Are you all right now?" A soft, somewhat effeminate voice asks. Strange, he could hear the question in English but it sounded like it was overlapping a softer, more fluid language. Kind of like parseltongue sounds like English overlapping hissing.

Snapping out of his drifting thoughts, he nodded slowly and was pleased to note the action didn't induce vertigo or increase the mild throbbing in his head. Slowly blinking open one eye, he squinted at the pink blur on his bed before slowly opening the other eye. Blinking a couple times to adjust his eyes, Harry gazed blearily at the, yes, big pink blur.

"Thank you but, do you know where my glasses are?"

"Ano...I'm sorry to say but they were destroyed while you were brought here. Were they very important...?"

"Harry. And yeah, they were. All I can tell of you is you're wearing a lot of pink...um..."

"My name is Haku, Harii-kun and I believe we have a problem. Gatou-san, the man whose base you are in and our current employer, will dispose of you if you cannot make yourself out to be an asset to him."

"Damn!" Loud, irate hissing filled the room as Harry blanched and curled up in the corner of the cot, his back pressing tight against the wall. His mind raced, trying to figure out a way out and letting the darkness close in on him, yearning for the temporary oblivion it offered.

Violent trembling shook his thin frame when Haku gently touched his shoulder. Harry's mind ran around in gibbering circles trying to figure out an escape from this mess while flirting with oblivion. Swimming and swirling and terrified, Harry's panic attack reached a peak before —

/_**HUMAN!**_/

— his furry reincarnated tenant lost his own temper.

**-/- Mindscape -/-**

A violent yank behind his navel slammed his mental form into the middle of the glade from earlier. Only this time it looked like the storm from Harry's mind has moved over the glade. Harry remained frozen where he fell under the burning gaze of Shichibi's flashing eyes.

/_You stupid human!__ Lowly, sniveling, spineless, worm! THINK!_/

"Think?" Harry mumbled uncomprehendingly. The fog was slowly leaving his mind, undoubtedly because he had a massive pissy fox glaring at him.

/_I know you are not stupid no matter what those other disgusting humans said! Think of what the pink boy-human told you. If you can be of use to the big worm..._/

"But what do I have to offer? I am all but blind, have no fighting ability to speak of, and any information I have would be useless here."

/**Stupid** _boy, think! Where do you come from?_/

"Magic...offer my magic to him, like a hit-wizard? But, I don't have my wand...so, offer what magic I have without needing a wand...I can't apparate, I'm not an animagus, and the strongest magic I can do wandless is '_**accio**_' and that's considered amazing in the wizarding world...what else is there?"

/_Your arm whelp._/

"Huh? All that's on my arm is the scar from fourth year and the scar from...the...Basilisk...Parseltongue! You think if I spin it right this Gatou person will consider my snake speaking worthwhile enough to keep me around until I figure out how to get to Minato's kid?"

/_Finally. Now, get the hell out there and stick next to the pink whelp. He's powerful, kind, knowledgeable about our current surroundings, and therefore useful._/

"Yes, Shichibi. Thank you."

**-/- Reality -/-**

His conciousness slammed back into reality, bolting himself upright.


	3. Cringing Snake?

**Title: **Shadow of the Lightning Kitsune

**Chapter: **02 - Crossing Paths

**Beta: **None

**Rating: T **(swearing, confused genin, and Harry's new outfit)

**Date / Words: **Nov 5, 2007 **(revised) /**1477

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

* * *

**- - / Time Lapse: 1 Year / - -**

"Zabuza-san the Demon Brothers have been eliminated. One Leaf genin cell, their sensei, and the target. They're continuing on but their jounin sent a summon dog back- probably asking for backup."

"A nin-dog, huh? What do they look like?"

There were a few moments of soft hissing, interrupted by a very human snort of laughter.

"Er...mind you that I'm just the translator Zabuza-san. There are three males, one female. The female has head fur- hair- the color of Ice Snake's outer skin- how the hell can someone have pink hair? One dark boy that tastes of anger and hate with a black water bird for head fur. There is a bloody white circle on his back- probably the Uchiha brat from a few years ago. The last boy is walking heat with sun hair and tastes of -" abrupt hissing erupt for a moment before subsiding "foxes. The jounin has old hair, tastes young, has one eye and reeks of dog."

"I see. Copy-nin Kakashi, A-ranked shinobi of Hidden Leaf, possessor of the Sharingan eye and said to have copied over 1000 jutsu."

"Sounds right up your alley Zabuza-san. A dark back alley in the seedier part of Mist – itai!"

A black haired boy scowled and rubbed the back of his head. It was surprising the amount of change that could happen in over a year. Once untamable black hair brushed the tops of his shoulder blades in innumerable small tight braids. Each braid was capped with at least one bead of various make; wood, stone, glass, and various precious metals and gems.

The face had matured and sharpened, quickly loosing the last lingering amounts of baby fat under Zabuza's 'care'. A long peach and gold scarf, a gift from Haku after his first successful mission, was tied tight around his eyes with the trailing ends falling to his waist. When he first entered Zabuza and Haku's care they decided it was easier and cheaper to train him blind than replace his glasses; that could easily prove a liability in battle anyways.

Having long since resigned himself to being short, he stood confidently with no little amount of pride at a respectable 5 foot 9 inches (a vast improvement over the embarrassing 5 foot 4 inches of last year). A deep olive tan spread evenly over his exposed skin suggesting extended periods of time in the sun with little to no (Zabuza was a sadist, pure and simple) clothing.

He had on camo pants of various shades of blue-tinged greys and browns, wrapped tightly at the ankles. Over them were thin but durable shark skin hunters' boots that protected his feet while letting him feel the ground underneath. A layered shirt of watered, blue spider silk covered a long sleeved metal fishnet shirt. Over all of that was a waist length black leather jacket, left open. (1)

_**- - / Flashback / - -**_

When he first arrived he stood out like a sore thumb: short, gangly, wide green eyes, extremely pale skin, a crow's nest of black hair, and foreign clothes. Picked up for his novel appearance and Gatou's entertainment, it was only thanks to his Potter's Luck that he had survived his first meeting with the crime lord.

Wave Country was an archipelago, a clump of islands, some large and populated while others were nothing more than barren rocks and everything in between. The terrain ranged from barren rock to sandy beaches to large damp marshes to forests; in other words it was a breeding ground for snakes of the large and lethal variety. Fortunate for him but unfortunate for Gatou.

An underling had left a low window, near the port, open. Just large enough that a water moccasin variant could gain entry. The snake made his way to Gatou's office; he refused to say how, and curled up to sleep under Gatou's desk. Long story short: Gatou sat at his desk, snake woke up, snake decided to take his frustrations out on the small, pudgy, rat-human that woke him. Harry appeared in the nick of time to calm the snake down and call it off, Potter's Luck kicked in and Gatou decided to spare him, Addendum kicked in and he had to work for Gatou under "Demon of the Mist" Momochi Zabuza.

Up side: he got training from an A-rank jounin; he found a best friend/brother in Haku, and a grudgingly overprotective confidant/guardian in Zabuza.

Down side: he got training from an overprotective "Demon of the Mist" Zabuza and he'd be damned if Zabuza didn't earn his name...bastard.

A lot changed in a year. Harry (or Harii) became faster, stronger, taller, and found some sort of middle ground with his tenant- Shichibi no longer went out of his way to screw with Harry's chakra control, he let Harry's magical core handle that.

Chakra had to be the biggest surprise; he had almost as much raw chakra as raw magic- the only difference being with practice he could tap his chakra whenever he wanted instead of needing a specific focus. Of course, only a year had passed- Haku kindly, but religiously, kicked his ass and Zabuza was still a high A-ranked jounin.

_**- - / End FB / - -**_

"What about the Demon Brother's poison claws?" Soft sibilant hissing was directed towards Zabuza who scowled down at the large moccasin. "I swear it's like that damn thing can understand me."

Tilting his head forward to hide his face behind clacking braids, Harry translated quickly into sibilant Japanese. "Fox-Scented Heat's hand was injured with the oily impurity, the poison, but then the smell of fox became stronger and it burned away the scent of impurity and injury. Kyuubi must have healed him. If he's anything like his bastard offspring he'll keep Naruto from dying of outright stupidity."

Zabuza grunted softly in acknowledgement before turning away to stare into the fire located in the middle of their small camp. "And Zabuza-san?" The jounin tilted his head curtly, "Land Swimmer is fully capable of understanding human speech. It is humans who can't understand him."

"Shut it brat. What does it have to say about Haku?"

"Ice Snake, Haku, remains safe, no one has noticed his presence yet but we're both worried about Kakashi. Since the Brothers gave away the game he'll be on high alert for any other attacks. He knows they will be coming. The runts aren't much threat but they did send back a request for help, meaning there'll be at least one more jounin on guard, possibly more. I know you don't like relying on my snakes but wouldn't it be better than leaving Haku to potentially be on his own against two jounins and six runts?"

Turning around, the missing-nin appraised his student silently before nodding decisively to himself. Feeling Zabuza's eyes on him, Harry placed Land Swimmer on his shoulders before standing straight facing Zabuza. Smirking to himself, Zabuza beckoned Harry over.

**--/--**

"WAHH! Kakashi-sensei!"

/ 'Stupid Pink-Fur menace. Loud noises, bright color, no predator sense; how live past hatching? Other predators should have eaten; it only bluff. Smells sick, why not dying?' /

Muttering irritably, Land Swimmer reared in the middle of the Leaf team's path and faced Pink-Fur.

/ '"Help me Land Swimmer. Distract big predator and snakelings. Land Swimmer bigger and more frightening than Swamp Log. Smarter and faster than Branch Spanner. Bite better than Quick Strike." Stupid Fox-Snake. Stupid Land Swimmer. Stupid loud sick Pink-Fur!' /

"Whoa! Kakashi-sensei, check out the size of that snake. What is it?"

"It's a water moccasin Naruto. A specific variant found only in Wave; you can tell from the pattern of the scales. Sakura, you disturbed it- back away slowly and we'll go around."

"Yes-s K-Kakashi-sensei."

/ 'Stupid Pink-Fur. I eat!' /

"Oi! Watch it Pinky!"

Land Swimmers jaws closeed on empty air as something tackled Sakura to the side. Pushing himself up from the dirt, the braided and blind folded boy scowled and stalked over to the suddenly fearful snake. Helped up by Sasuke, Sakura dusted herself off while the three guys watched the new boy and the snake.

"Kakashi-sensei is the snake...cringing?"

"Snakes can't cringe, dobe."

"Actually Sasuke, I think it is."

"Hn?"

"Watch."

"Kakashi-sensei, shouldn't you be warning that guy about the snake?"

Kakashi shakes his head. "I think he has things under control Naruto."

Hissing erupts between the boy and the snake; the boy gesturing angrily at the snake.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're seeing this too right?"

"I am but I'm not sure if I believe it. You can only really interact with animals like he is if they're summoned but, only one person currently has the snake contract and he's not giving it up."

"Then what the heck is he doing?"

"I have no idea Naruto. Look underneath the underneath- he's more than he seems. That's about all I can say right now."

* * *

1 - Let me explain: 

Camo pants - think Zabuza's. For better blending with his surroundings.

Shark Skin Hunters Boots - Hunters boots are thinner but with a very durable sole. Better traction and the closed toe protects his feet from snakes, bugs, natural elements found in swamp country, etc. Shark skin, yes some license on my part. However, it is durable, strong, and considering real skin feels like sandpaper, better than average traction.

Spider Silk - Again, some creative license on my part. Spider silk is one of the strongest natural materials in the world. It used to be used as bandages at one point. So, layered spider silk shirt, plus the steel mesh undershirt, my idea of a basic ninja version of a kevlar vest. Good for absorbing slash attacks, not so much from piercing. Blue because he is in Wave country.

Leather Jacket - A, I like them. B, to give him some protection from piercing weapons. Plus, pockets and hidey holes like a chunin/jounin vest provides.

2 - Yes, I am going for a very eccentric, gypsy-esque feel. Harry's opponents underestimate his abilities from his dress while anyone worth while looking at him recognizes the basic threat he provides. There is a basic reason for his hair. Besides providing something else for people to focus on besides him (they will only remember the eccentric hair and clothes, not him specifically), he is literally carrying his life wherever he goes. His money and his memories. And maybe a few ninja tools as well...?


	4. Harry Potter Meets the Golden Kit

**Title: **Shadow of the Lightning Kitsune

**Chapter: **03 - Harry Potter and the Golden Kit

**Beta: **None

**Rating: T **(swearing, possible OOC!Sasuke, overprotective!Harry)

**Date / Words: **Nov 6, 20071482

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**AN: Read my lips. I don't update often but I do update everything at least once a year. More if the muse bites me in the arse - hard. I will soft copy "For the Sake of Sirius" (working title) and place it up before the end of the year, hell's probably before the end of the month. When FSS is up I will remove "Surprises" until such time as the muse awakens again. I don't believe in leaving up discontinued fics or discontinued fics in the form of "long hiatus". Trust me, I will remove my stories before you will ever see "Hiatus" in my summary. **

**You will (hopefully) see a pair of one shots by Christmas. Otherwise, TNSD will probably be next after I finish SLK 4 and then D5. Yes, both will be updated, come hell or high water, before Midnight New Years. I'm actually aiming to have them by Christmas.**

* * *

The kid was weird; there was no doubt about that. He was arguing with a snake after shoving Sakura out of the way of its bite. Not only that but he had a silk scarf covering his eyes suggesting blindness. The boy's hair was done in hundreds of tiny braids decorated wildly. If he wasn't completely mistaken the beads weren't glass or iron pyrite (1). Naruto might have been dead last but even he could recognize quality.

"Yo, thanks for saving my subordinate." Kakashi's tone was warmer than normal, directed toward the strange teen.

Hissing sharply at the snake one last time, Harry turned toward the man's voice. "No problem Ninja-san, but you might want to train your genin to be more aware of their surroundings. That particular snake was aiming to kill her and eat her. Would have kept him happily fed for two weeks actually."

"Right, I'll see to that. Tell me, how did you know we were shinobi?'

"You step too lightly, you aren't making excessive sounds at rest, and you are controlling your voice too well. Therefore, you have ninja training. The fact that you are escorting three kids suggests you are a jounin."

"Whoa, he's good." Sakura murmured.

"Hn."

"And without seeing either. He did all that with just his ears. His senses gotta be better than even Dog-boy's." Naruto was awed at the display.

"I'm not sure who your 'Dog-boy' is, but it isn't really that surprising. When a person loses one of the five main senses the remaining become stronger to compensate. I can't see so my ability to hear, smell, touch, and taste have increased dramatically." Harry turned to face the awed boy's voice. Harry liked the kid, he sounded sincere in a way most people never were after they turned five.

The genin blinked, slightly unnerved by how directly the 'blind' boy looked at them, and Naruto specifically. Sasuke wasn't impressed.

"Hn. how come you can look at the dobe directly if you're blind?" Sasuke blinked at the grin that appeared and was disturbingly reminded of his blond teammate.

"Chakra, silly. His voice gave me the area and I just focused on the chakra over there. Every chakra is distinctive and it wasn't hard to figure out his chakra from yours or the girl. Ask your sensei, he probably figured all this out already."

"Mah...how about we introduce each other first? Make explanations easier." Kakashi asked in the strangely warm tone from earlier, with traces of curiosity in it.

The teen nodded, smiling amiably, his beads and braids quietly clacking with the motion. "I'm Harry Potter, pleasure to meet you all." He bowed briefly in the direction of Team 7.

"Kakashi Hatake, jounin of Konoha." Feral but ordered chakra flowed through him reminding Harry of a pack of wild wolves.

"I'm Sakura Haruno and I'm a genin of Konoha." Little chakra but rigidly controlled, she had potential for medicine.

"Hn. Sasuke Uchiha." Dark, chaotic and bloody. Sasuke could be extremely powerful but... this child needed watching.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I'm going the next Hokage, believe it!" The chakra was absolutely massive but had almost no control. Harry could feel faint flickers of demonic chakra mixed in Naruto's own chakra, stretching his coils while disrupting the flow. However, his natural chakra felt clean, free of taint. Yes, this child, the Kyuubi holder, would do wonders.

"Hah, a short stuff like you? Never!" evidently the old man with them, Zabuza forgot to mention his name, was tired of being ignored.

"Shut it you old drunk!"

"Naruto, stop fighting with Tazuna-san!" Sakura's aura darkened threateningly and she clenched her fist so hard it was shaking.

"Sakuraaa..."

"Dobe, stop whining." The little Uchiha snorted disdainfully and turned away from Naruto.

"Mah, Naruto..."

Harry frowned. Why were they picking on Naruto? It was an honest dream with the determination and integrity needed to make it come true.

"I'll agree with your comrades on one point Naruto. You couldn't be the next Hokage if you tried."

"Wha?!"

"Easy, let me finish." Harry raised his hands in a placating gesture, "If I remember right, the current Hokage is really old. He probably won't hold the title for another five years; forget until you're old enough to actually contend for the title. Hell, you might not even be eligible for the one after that-- what number is Konoha up to anyway?'

He could feel their eyes boring into him. The other two kids, Sasuke and Sakura, were shocked while the sensei was wary and skeptical. Naruto though, Harry could feel the hope burning, grateful that someone believed him. Even if it was a stranger.

"I don't know why your friends scoff at your dream but I can feel it. Your determination, integrity, honesty. I've been around people too long to believe that innocence can be retained; however, I can feel something...not innocence per se but...a type of optimism, as if you will only see the good in others until they prove otherwise." Harry's voice was quietly contemplative yet carried easily to even Tazuna's untrained ears. Light flashed crazily off Harry's beads as they were twisted between his fingers in an unconscious gesture.

'Duck Butt' scoffed loudly and glared hotly at Naruto then Harry. "Naruto is just a dead last loser that can't do anything except drag everybody down." Jealousy flared in Sasuke's chakra- not hate like he expected.

Sakura's chakra deadened in shock, Tazuna's minor amount flat lined while Kakashi's churned wildly. Evidently the supposed super ninja hadn't known about his little genin's feelings toward his teammate. Naruto though...

Naruto was devastated by Sasuke's announcement. He wasn't stupid, he knew Sasuke hadn't been happy being teamed with him but this...it was like Sasuke hated him. Damnit, Sasuke was his teammate; he wasn't supposed to be like the villagers. So he wasn't the number one or even twenty third rookie of the year. It wasn't his fault damnit- he tried but he was only human. Human...maybe Sasuke knew? But he couldn't know, the old man had made that law. Not that it ever really stopped the villagers before. 'Demon' 'monster' 'abomination' the names just went on and on. Naruto furtively glanced at Kakashi, hyper aware of his sensei's almost painful stillness. Maybe...?

"He's pulling down who? You? That child has more potential in his little finger than you have in your entire body brat. Or is that the problem? Jealous of your teammate Uchiha? Jealous he might actually make his dream reality and you'll be left in his wake, staring up at him? Isn't that the tradition in Leaf, to immortalize your Kage's on a mountain?"

/There's the killing intent. / Harry thought as the small clearing was filled with teen angst ridden killer intent. The sensei was finally paying attention now- it only took the little Uchiha going ballistic to do that. /Maybe now Kakashi will actually _look_ at his team. /

Harry waved his hand dismissively as if the intent didn't bother him. Hells, he learned from 'Demon of the Mist' Zabuza, not that the Leaf team knew that. "Aww...did I hit a nerve? Too bad kid, life sucks and then you die. There is no such thing as fairness, equality, or freedom. Learn that lesson now and save yourself pain later."

Sakura was making a strange gurgling sound in the background. The shock of Mr. Perfect not being so perfect and someone talking in such a condescending manner to said boy managed to temporarily break her. /Hmm...cat choking on a hairball mixed with indignant fan girl and a hint of shock. Not bad. /

"Kid, get your head out of your ass." Harry cast one last glare on the sullen Uchiha before turning it on Kakashi. "Ninja-san, as their teacher you are supposed to notice this crap and nip it in the bud. I thought Leaf didn't condone Mist-style exams and training?" Harry's lips twisted in disdain, mildly contemptuous of the jounin. Turning curtly on his heel, the teen started to leave, down the road towards Wave.

Naruto looked around at his team before calling after Harry's retreating back. "Hey wait. You never finished explaining how you could see where we were." He was desperate to stop the one person who truly believed he could obtain his dream, and actually defended it, from leaving.

Harry frowned sadly to himself before turning, still walking down the road, to wave jauntily at Naruto. "I'll see you again Naruto Uzumaki and I'll explain the whole concept to you then. Keep your chin up kiddo, work forwards and one day you'll become the Kage." he could almost see Naruto's beaming grin through his scarf, as it was the future Hokage's loud "Believe it!" echoed pleasantly in his ears even after disappearing into the tree tops.

* * *

1 - Fool's gold

2 - I'm not going to try and pretend I'm Japanese or have any real understanding of the language / culture. The suffixes are used more as a clue to the language used than anything else. Plus, I figure I can't completely screw those up in such a way that I will offend anyone. All jutsu will be written in English. Especially if (when) I wind up making them up. I have a chakra wielding wizard, it seems inevitable.

So, how'd it turn out? I said I would update before the year was out and I'm actually starting Chapter 4 now. You should (muses willing) have a second one up by Thanksgiving.


	5. The Back Up Squad

**Title: **Shadow of the Lightning Kitsune

**Chapter: **04 - The Back-Up Squad

**Beta: **None

**Rating: T **(swearing, jumpy!Harry, flashbacks)

**Date / Words: **Nov 10, 2007 / 1169

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

* * *

"That was almost disturbingly sentimental. Almost, but what you managed to do to the other three made up for it. Really Harii, killing kittens?" Zabuza, damn his hide, grinned shark-like from the branch above him. It was so unfair that Zabuza could sneak up on him no matter what. Although... Harry smirked.

"Really, kittens? I thought it was more indignant fan girl with a hint of shocked despair." Oh, Zabuza was _so_ rubbing off on him.

"Harii-kun. One Zabuza is more than enough." Haku's muffled voice sounded behind him. Harry, predictably, jumped.

"Damnit Haku! What have I said about that?" He turned swiftly to glare at his partner/brother.

"My apologies Harii-kun."

Harry softly snorted before waving his hand dismissively. "And you dare complain about me acting like Zabuza." Harry smirked to himself when Haku's chakra took on a distinctly pouty feel.

"Enough brat. Haku, did you find the second squad?"

Haku and Harry came to attention. Time for playing was over.

"Yes Zabuza-sama. I followed them for a time and managed to hear their names. A boy named Kiba Inuzuka carries a puppy with him along with a white eyed girl named Hinata. There is another boy in a trench coat and sunglasses called Shino and the cell leader is a red eyed woman named Kurenai. Her eyes appear to be natural and not a bloodline."

"Hn. Recognize any of them Harii?'

"The Inuzuka are combat and tracking specialists. Their bloodline allows them to bond to a dog and then share abilities with them. How did you find out his last name and not the others anyways?"

"The boy, Shino, made a comment concerning his teammate."

"Ah, okay. The white eyed child is undoubtedly a Hyuuga. Their bloodline is the Byakugan which offers them 360 degree vision and allows them to see a person's chakra system. They have a fighting technique called Gentle Fist centered around their bloodline.

"The last one sounds like an Aburame... shit!" Harry's head jerked and he looked suspiciously at Haku before jumping up next to Zabuza. "Haku stay put and suppress your chakra as much as possible."

Zabuza looks askance at his second protégé. "What's wrong?"

"The Aburame bloodline is the problem. They use kikai bugs to invisibly track their opponents and drain them of chakra. They are also the most secretive clan in leaf. I don't know much else about them." Harry explained quickly before putting his hands in the serpent seal and concentrating.

_**-----Flashback-----**_

Zabuza hadn't been happy getting saddled with another brat to train. Haku had been a once in a lifetime opportunity. A child with such a powerful bloodline willing to work for anyone who showed him the vaguest amount of kindness. Zabuza had recognized his worth immediately, with the proper training he could be a powerful tool and loyal to him, Zabuza, alone. He didn't pass it up.

Harry though, the strange little brat had been foisted on him just because of some stupid party trick. He was small, weak, almost fragile really. Like one of those porcelain dolls Haku looked at when he thought Zabuza wasn't watching. The brat would never survive training to be a shinobi and yet...he had looked excited at the prospect. The little doll's eyes had glowed with determination and then, the reason he had agreed to the mad scheme, something within him stirred. It was chakra, barely there but the density of that minor bit was amazing. Suddenly, Zabuza had another tool to forge.

-----

In a clearing, three days east of Gatou's compound and hidden under a couple of fairly strong layered genjutsu, was a willow tree. The massive girth, requiring three men of Zabuza's size to encompass, was testament to its age. The scars littering the bark told of its strength. The willow had seen and survived many storms, whether of nature or man and seemed intent on surviving many more.

It never met Harry Potter before.

The doll, Harry, did not respond well to being called 'boy'. The Zabuza sized crater in the trunk was proof of that. One moment the Demon of the Mist was trying to make Harry summon his chakra, and when he failed Zabuza lit into the "useless boy wasting his time." Maybe it wasn't so much the word itself as the derogatory tone used when it was said. Either way, the dense chakra from before whipped up from no where and sent Zabuza careening into the willow's trunk.

Harry never apologized. Zabuza never asked. Surprisingly, Zabuza never called him 'boy' in his vicinity again. Haku would become adept at healing large contusions, abrasions, and broken bones-- especially the ribcage.

-----

It took months for Harry to be able to summon his chakra at will. Thankfully, his physical fitness was so far below par that his chakra wasn't first priority. Unfortunately, his physical fitness was so far below par that it was the only priority for two months.

When Harry was finally able to summon his chakra four and a half months had passed, and it only worked if he used the serpent seal. Neither Zabuza nor Haku knew why and it took another two months to figure it out. Two months, an introduction to Land Swimmer, Quick Strike and Bush Hider, and one extraordinarily pissed off Shichibi no Youko. He had had nightmares for a week straight. However, on the plus side, he found out why he could only summon chakra with one seal; Shichibi was such a bastard. After that particular life threatening incident Harry could summon his chakra using any seal but the serpent was best for concentration. (1)

A year after being foisted on 'Demon of the Mist' Momochi Zabuza and his apprentice Harry was high-chunin level taijutsu, low-chunin level genjutsu, and below average genin in ninjutsu.

_**-----End Flashback-----**_

The kikai bugs of the Aburame clan were unique in their ability to consume chakra. Their natural state was that of a chakra 'void', requiring them to absorb the chakra of other beings to live and reproduce. If the Aburame, Shino, had successfully placed a kikai on Haku, Harry could theoretically locate it if he looked for an absence or dip in the natural chakra around them. By having Haku suppress his chakra any abnormalities in his chakra should become more obvious.

And what do you know?

"Gotcha!" In an instant Harry was beside Haku, a small beetle held carefully between his fingers. Haku tree hopped next to Zabuza, carefully avoiding Harry and the beetle.

"Well? Kill it already."

"That isn't necessarily the best idea, sir. Aburame's are hyper-aware of their bugs. If I squish this little guy..." Harry shrugged helplessly, unsure what to do.

"It's just a tracer. We'll go on ahead while you plant that on someone else. You know where to meet us."

Nodding curtly, Zabuza disappeared from sight without a sound. Haku signed 'be safe' before following.

Sighing softly to himself, he glared at the kikai, beads clacking softly in agitation. "Well, let's go visit Naruto. You'll just love his chakra."

* * *

1 - AbeoUmbra pointed out some folks might need a small explanation here:

Land Swimmer, Quick Strike, and Bush Hider are all names of snakes Harry knows. Refer to Ch 2 (is that snake cringing?)

Shichibi no Youko is the bastard offspring of Kyuubi reincarnated (not sealed!) into Harry. Refer to Prologue (not so loony luna)


	6. Impatient Virtue

**05 Impatient Virtue**

**2/15/08**** -- 2062 words sans ANs  
**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (Rowling) or Naruto (Kishimoto?).

AN: This was supposed to be ready last weekend but it wound up being longer than anticipated (5 pages not 2). So, here you go. I think this might be one of the longest chapters so far. Don't expect these often. I think I used the term "chibi-kun" at one point to refer to Naruto. Otherwise, a few honorifics, nothing huge. As stated previously, I'm not Japanese and I'm not going to pretend I am by destroying the language.

* * *

Switching the Aburame's kikai onto Naruto wasn't hard; actually, it was disappointingly easy. Evidently his visit earlier had thrown off what little team rhythm existed and the genin were all off in their own worlds. Even that moron Kakashi had let his guard down - what respect Harry held for his abilities were dropping like a rock. Planting the kikai without even the jounin being the wiser, it was now officially pathetic. 

Harry brushed his hand roughly through his braids, sending the ornaments clashing wildly. He would delay the planned attack on the kiddies; there was no fun to be had killing an already wounded enemy.

----

''You were right brat. So much for the legendary Copy-nin if a little visit from _you_ can throw 'em that far off.''

''Unfortunately. I had been looking forward to fighting Chibi-kun, see how much work he needed.''

''Another time Harii-kun. We are going to meet them on the bridge after all.''

''Enough talk, back to base. ''

-------

Haku was right to a degree - they, Zabuza, Haku, and himself, would visit Team 7 later. However, Harry didn't intend to wait a week. Hurrying ahead of the civilian-escorting Leafs, it wasn't hard to slip into the depressed Wave town Tazuna called home. An hour later he 'accidentally' ran into Tsunami and gallantly offered to carry her -meager- groceries for her after, ''So rudely interrupting the radiant young lady's day.'' It won a smile from Hermione and a giggle from Tsunami - he gladly accepted the dinner invitation issued.

----

Something was wrong with the little one, Inari, but overall the dinner was nice. Harry talked about his travels, the condition of Wave, and his desire to help in some way. By the time he had finished cleaning the last dish -- after a minor disagreement with Tsunami which he resolved by pointing out her depressed son -- he gratefully accepted the invitation to stay until her father returned.

In a showing of gratitude Harry promptly went to the river behind the house and caught a string of fair sized fish. It was refreshing feeling the stares of honest wonder and delight when he presented his hostess with his prize. After all, a blind man fishing? Successfully? Plus, it had the added benefit of lifting the aura of gloom surrounding the little one.

-------

Four days later the little Leafs arrived. Although shocked and wary to find him there, nothing held Naruto back from tackling Harry in a bone bruising hug. Kakashi hung back, watching the strange traveler from earlier; quietly nursing his suspicions at finding said stranger just happened to be staying at their final destination. Shinobi work was comprised of finely honed skill on a strong foundation of gut instinct and those instincts were screaming at him that something was not right. However, Harry was currently hugging Naruto as hard as Naruto was hugging him and taking great pleasure in mussing Naruto's already unruly mop of golden blond hair, much to the blond's vocal distress.

"Harii-san! What are you doing here?"

"I was already heading to Wave when I ran into you guys earlier. I stopped into town a few days ago to resupply and accidentally bumped into Tsunami-san. After I helped her with her groceries she offered me dinner. Trust me Chibi-kun, you travel as long as I have and you learn to never turn down an honest to goodness home cooked meal; you can only live off the taste of ration bars for so long before seppuku becomes appealing. Tsunami was then kind enough to offer to let me stay for a few days."

"It was no trouble Harii-san, really. I haven't seen Inari this happy in a long time, and it was nice not having to do the dishes for a couple days." Tsunami quickly spoke up in Harry's defense, embarassed by the sincerity of his compliments. "True, it was also nice not having to worry about Gatou's men as well. After that incident two days ago, they haven't been back."

The bridge builder, Tazuna, perked up at that. "What incident? Daughter, are you and Inari alright?" A hint of steel under-lied his words and the aura he gave off made it clear why _he_ was the one to stand against the shipping magnate.

Tsunami waved her hand dismissively, not wanting to worry her father. Harry would have none of that and subtly tapped Naruto's shoulder. Surprisingly, Naruto understood and turned to face the bridge builder. Harry squeezed his thanks before launching into his tale.

**_---flashback 2 days---_**

Wave, no surprise, was wet with swamps, lakes, rivers, and streams crisscrossing over the surface. Because of that the town was built on stilts and bridges over the water, connecting the houses to each other and to solid land. A bridge spanned the water before Tsunami's home ending at the front porch of another, deserted, house.

Wood on wood made a very distinct clunk. Two people were heading towards the house, one in geta and the other sandals, not even trying to hide their presence. Just the opposite in fact, Geta was putting more of his weight behind each step ensuring each was loud enough for an untrained civilian to hear. His partner was softly snickering, rattling his swords in their sheaths. _'Samurai? Or…no, the steps are all wrong. Geta has more training than Swords but still, he's only slightly better than an amateur. What do they want?'_

Harry cocked his head and caught the sound of Inari drawing at the low dining room table. Creaking overhead suggested Tsunami was cleaning the upper floor again. She might not have had much but she took care of what she did have, something Harry found admirable. Putting Zabuza's hardwon skills to the test he silently walked over to Inari. Inari, realizing something was wrong, tensed but remained quiet until Harry could explain. Whispering softly against his ear, Harry warned him to quietly head upstairs and keep himself and his mother hidden.

"Go, I'll take care of these idiots."

"Hai, Harii-san." Inari whispered back before abandoning his doodling and heading upstairs. _'Surprisingly good for a bratling. See if I can't teach him a couple tricks before I have to leave. Now, let's find out what Geta and Swords want.'_

Loosening the daggers strapped to his forearms, Harry stepped outside to confront the intruders. They stopped, surprised to find an obviously blind man blocking their entrance to the house. Ninjas were known for being eccentric but the blind man looked like no ninja Geta had ever seen, instead he seemed to take eccentric to an all new level. Camo pants, leather jacket, silk shirt, hunting boots and shiny braids. He'd never seen anything like it. And that scarf covering his eyes trailing down to his hips, taunting enemies to try and grab it. No ninja would leave such an apparent liability.

"Oi! Who the hell are you?!" His partner was an idiot but he wasn't paid to complain.

The odd man cocked his head before focusing on Shiro. _'Creepy. He's looking right at that idiot.'_

"What are you doing here? Only a young woman and her child are in—nobodies to you." His voice was young but sure, confident in his ability to remain safe. _'I don't think his voice has even cracked yet.'_

"We're here for the girl! If that idiot bridge builder wants to build his bridge he'll do it over his kid's corpse." Shiro shouted, cocky and arrogant. Itching for blood he drew his swords and ran for the blind man.

'_Coming from the right. Cross strike.'_ Jump back and to the right, swords whistle past. _'Back slash with the right.'_ Hold the dagger flat side out, gripping the hilt. Clang of metal on metal. _'Left sword.'_ Shove the right sword away; duck under the off course left sword. Kick up with right leg, balance on free hand, snap left leg into sternum. _'Got him.'_ Back flip and return to starting position, daggers out and loosely held in his hands.

Shiro landed heavily at his feet while his swords clattered and slid off the bridge into the water. The defeated swordsman groaned, weakly rolling onto his side. "Damn idiot. Rushin' into situations head on. Ya got what ya deserve."

"Maybe so, but what about you? You've seen what I can do, are you still going to try and attack Tsunami-san?" The blind man shrugged elegantly, exaggerating the daggers present in each hand.

"I ain't as stupid as him. I don't got much but ya and Gatou ain't worth the hassle for what I do. Ya let me leave and I'm outta here."

"Fine, leave the bridge builder and his family alone and you may leave. However, tell me who you are first. After all, I wouldn't want to accidentally track down the wrong man should you betray my trust."

"Takato. My name's Takato the mercenary. An' what about ya? So I know who ta avoid in future."

"Harii, the Blind Traveller or the Eccentric Blindman. Now, I have answered your question, I suggest you take your little friend and leave. My patience and, more importantly, my generosity are quickly coming to an end. It will not be pleasant for you should you still be here when they run out."

Harry smirked at the sound of Takato's geta moving away while dragging the groaning body of his partner behind. When even his sensitive ears could no longer catch the sounds of Gatou's men, he turned and sauntered calmly back into Tsunami's house.

**_---end flashback---_**

"Whoa. That's awesome Harii-san!"

Harry laughed and rubbed his hand through his braids sheepishly. They clicked and clattered in agitation before settling down.

"You know, you look like Naruto when you do that?" Sakura stated.

"Eh? I wouldn't know but I'll take that as a compliment. So, Tsunami-san, since your father has returned, and with so many guests in tow, I guess it's time for me to leave. After all, with so many ninja staying with you Gatou's men wouldn't dare to return. Most mercenary do their best to avoid confrontation with ninja because they usually have more training even if they are only midgets." Harry threw in the last comment with a subtle head toss in the direction of the genin. Not subtle enough because he could hear the little Uchiha growling, Snake-bait huffing, and Naruto felt like he was pouting.

"Mom, you can't let Harii leave yet! We don't even know what _they_ can do, but we know Harii kicks butt and those stupid henchmen of Gatou's won't come near him." Inari tossed in his two cents. His disdain for the newbies was blatantly clear.

"I'm proud you think so highly of me little one but your mom only has so much room. Four ninja plus you, your mom and your grandpa is seven people - I'd make eight. Even if your grandpa let me stay, it wouldn't be fair to take all your family's food without contributing."

"But you do! You fish better than even Grampa!"

"Erm--"

"I insist you stay Harii-san. In gratitude for keeping my family safe and because I'd also ask a favor of you. If you stay here then all the trained ninja can follow me to the bridge. Not only will I be safe but so will my workers. The morale boost will drive the men to complete this last leg in no time at all and Wave will finally throw off Gatou's oppressive yoke!"

"Dang, I didn't think such a lazy drunk could be so eloquent."

"Hn, I didn't think you knew what eloquent meant, loser."

"HEY! Sasuke you bastard!"

"HEY! DON'T CALL SASUKE THAT YOU DEAD-LAST IDIOT!" Sakura made to hit Naruto per usual. The blond cringed and ducked his head, already starting to apologize to "Sakura-chan". After a minute and no extreme pain came, Naruto glanced up through his crossed arms and gaped. Harry had caught Sakura's wrist in bruising grip and he was not happy. He yanked the pinkette forward and while she was off balance, threw her back into Kakashi.

Growling, Harry turned, facing the surprised jounin-sensei. "Fix _this_ before they wind up dead," he snarled then turned to Tazuna. "I will accept your offer Tazuna-san. Tsunami and Inari have become precious to me and I will not leave their safety in the hands of a broken genin team."

* * *

If Inari seems a bit OOC, he did become less of a brat when Naruto saved his mom and him, proving he had the ability to stand up to Gatou without being killed. Harry is definitely more skilled and confident than Naruto and also saved Inari's family so Inari doesn't have the same misgivings as he currently has with Team 7. 

**Kakashi **: Harry doesn't like Kakashi. He's supposed to be teaching Harry's charge what is required to be a good ninja and from Harry's POV Kakashi is failing miserably. And he's not just failing Naruto but Sasuke and Sakura too. To Harry, Kakashi has made no attempt to form his three genin into one cohesive whole -- Team 7 much less taught them anything. Harry is of the opinion that Kakashi's infamous reputation is mostly hyped up horse shit; that he is a lazy ass who should have never been given the opportunity to teach genin and that the only reason he has been is because Kakashi's the only loyal Sharingan user left in Konoha that can teach Princess Sasuke. Harry may or may not change his opinion over time but at the moment, Kakashi is a useless idiot that doesn't deserve his reputation. (Personally, I believe Kakashi is human. He starts out with his head in his ass prior to timeskip but he learns and becomes a productive character post timeskip.)

Should I give you a little hint of what is to come? I mean, it is rather obvious that Harry's presence is already having drastic effects on the Wave Arc. Hmm...

_Golden slitted eyes glittered with malicious humor as clawed hands grabbed Kakashi's forearm and yanked his fist free of the young boy's chest. The squelch and splatter of blood was loud in the sudden silence. Kakashi stepped back and watched in horrified fascination... _

Please REVIEW!!


	7. Trees, Water, and Team 8

**06 Trees, Water, and Team 8  
**

**3/6/2008 -- 1006 words**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (Rowlings) or Naruto (Kishimoto).

AN: Half the size of the last but I wasn't overly inspired. Next chapter will probably be similar but after that comes the Bridge Scene so keep your fingers crossed. As for any Japanese, some honorifics and I used the term 'hime' with the understanding that it means 'princess' or something similar. If that is incorrect please tell me. Leave a review at the end, I listen!

* * *

Kakashi didn't like Harry. He was suspicious, rude, insulting, and snide. Naruto loved him like a brother, Sakura was indebted to him, and Sasuke -Sasuke!- respected him, in his own sullen way. They were his team damnit! 

Harry didn't like Kakashi. He was lazy, caught in the past, and favored Uchiha-hime. He made no effort to earn the respect of his genins or teach them how to be effective ninja. Instead, he taught by the philosophy, "Do as I say, not as I do," and expected three twelve year olds to comply.

Team 7 knew Kakashi-sensei disliked Harry-san and that Harry-san returned the sentiments two-fold. However, it was Naruto who realized they could use the mutual dislike in their favor. To say his teammates were shocked was putting it mildly, but Naruto was either oblivious to their reaction or ignored it. Harry later came to the conclusion that Naruto had ignored it.

Recognizing the golden opportunity biting them on their butts for what it was, they pounced.

----

Harry and Kakashi disliked each other but both agreed on one thing -- chakra control was a must. All three little genin sucked royally -Harry's words- at chakra control, wasting exponential amounts with each jutsu they performed. Kakashi, as cell leader, made the call to start them on tree climbing. The little genin went from excited, to annoyed, to painfully frustrated in the span of five minutes. Ten minutes later and the boys were nursing bruised egos at Sakura's joyful proclamation of reaching the top. Harry was delighted to inform her that her astounding feat was in fact due to abnormally small chakra reserves and pathways.

The resulting cloudy aura of gloom was like the finest of wines to his senses.

----

The boys, upset at their pink team mate's success, left immediately after dinner and stayed out past midnight that night. Sasuke staggered inside supporting Naruto directly into the benevolent smile of the eccentric traveler. Grinning at the boys he stepped between the two supporting one on each arm and helped them upstairs to their room. Offering a soft good night to the already sleeping boys he returned to his own room and slept.

Kakashi and Harry watched the genin practice their skills until noon the next day when they could all successfully traverse their respective trees at least three times. At that point Kakashi mockingly bowed out of the training, leaving Team 7 to Harry's devices and returned to the house to rest. Chakra exhaustion wasn't something overcome in a day after all.

Never looking back, Kakashi missed the rather sadistic smirk on the blind man's lips.

----

"Okay my pretty little genin let's talk. Or, more accurately, I talk and you listen then obey. Now, I know you all are feeling pretty happy, invincible, on top of the world, correct? Well, that's no fun for me so I'm going to make it fun. Tree climbing is the most basic of all chakra control exercises and not worth the breath it takes to boast your ability so we're going to dive into the next level of chakra control. That's right kiddies; we're going to learn water walking!" Harry clapped mockingly to himself while his body vibrated softly in restrained enthusiasm. The resulting groans were music to his ears.

"Umm…Harii-san, how much harder can the water walking be? I mean, we got the tree walking down in a day and a half."

Flashing in the light the beads softly clacked when Harry cocked his head. After a moments consideration he walked towards the nearest tree and transitioned from ground to bark smoothly.

And then the genin gaped.

Harry jumped and flipped, did hand stands and cart wheels, he even somersaulted up and down and between the trees. Along the trunks and undersides of branches, even the leafy ends that should never have supported his weight were included. With a final backwards flip Harry landed easily on the ground before the shocked genin.

"You have only just grazed the tip of the iceberg my little genin. Until you can mimic what I just did as if it was as easy as breathing for you, you know nothing, you understand nothing, and you have mastered nothing. You will not forget the skills tree climbing provides and in fact, you will undoubtedly practice it heavily when you return to Fire and all its vast forests but here, in Wave, water walking shall be your most important skill to learn. If you cannot move on water as easily as land, you will die. Bogs, swamps, water snakes, flesh eating fish, and nuke-nin, all of these are dangers present and accounted for in Wave and you stand no chance if you cannot exit the water immediately and flee. So, I will be teaching you exactly how to do that. Now, follow me!"

----

Team 8 was greeted with a strange sight upon arriving at Tazuna's home—a thoroughly soaked Team 7 walking on water. Well, wobbling would probably be a more appropriate description. Actually, Sasuke had just dropped into the water and dragged Naruto down with him; Naruto, predictably, came up vocal and promptly dunked the floundering Uchiha. Sakura, concentration broken, shrieked as she fell into the water and immediately set about trying to throttle the blond. A braided blind man on the pier fell onto his arse laughing.

"Okay little genin, time to get out of the pool. The cavalry has arrived," the blind man called out after a few moments.

"Eh? What cavalry?"

"Naruto you idiot, he means Team 8 or have you forgotten the Demon Brothers already? Geez."

"Heh, sorry Sakura-chan."

Team 8 stared dumbfounded as the man calmly walked onto the water and hauled each genin out like wet sacks of flour then tossed them onto the pier. He sauntered back onto the pier next to the soaked Team 7, flicked a casual two finger salute to Kurenai-sensei, and wandered into the house most likely to warn the occupants of their arrival.

They were pulled out of their shock by the sudden rain shower provided by Naruto.

* * *

Review! I listen! 

PS: Please take the time to answer my poll at the top of my profile page. Thank you!


	8. Friendly Advice

**07 Friendly Advice  
**

**5/5/2008 -- 3322 words**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (Rowlings) or Naruto (Kishimoto).

**5/12/08 **_The link is **www(dot)hpfandom(dot)net**. It used to be a com site but they changed over. My apologies for the mix up. My **username is LynnGryphon**_

AN:7 pages in Word people. Rejoice. This chapter has been AbeoUmbra approved. I'm not 100 percent sure that the next chapter will be the infamous Bridge Scene but I can guarantee that if it isn't chapter 9 then it WILL be chapter 10. So, keep your fingers crossed people.

**AN2: READ THIS:** Also, this is NOT the slash version. I am setting up the scene for a strong Shino Naruto FRIENDSHIP not relationship. Version 1.2 the slash variant, can be found at www(dot)hpfandom(dot)net - slash won't come into play in the 1.2 version for a while longer though. I repeat - THIS IS **NOT **SLASH! There will be no main character relationships unless already established (ie: KurenaiAsuma). Even then, relationships will NOT be the focus of this story. Thank you for your understanding.

Warnings: Minor swearing, use of Japanese suffixes, and potential OOC (I personally don't think so but readers may disagree).

* * *

The red eyed jounin-sensei of Team 8 wasn't a fool no matter what anyone thought of kunoichi. Kurenai took the offer of free training from a competent, although not completely trustworthy source, with both hands. That Harii-san could instill the fear of the Kami into the children had nothing to do with it. Nope, it had nothing to do with subjecting her team to a self-confident, brutally frank, alpha type personality who went out of his way to needle anyone within his sensory range. Not at all.

--/

Shino was prepared to do something highly unusual if that braided menace didn't remove himself from his personal space in the next five seconds.

Shout.

Not just shout but rip Harii-san up one side and down the other. Ever since Kurenai-sensei handed them off to that madman he'd done his best to kill them all, spiritually, mentally, or physically depending on his mood. Worse, it had only been four days. Worst still, Harii-san had locked onto the young Aburame yesterday and, like a dog with a bone, he refused to let go.

"Oi! Buggy wake up! You're not sleeping on my watch!"

Shino twitched. His eyebrow ticked. And he finally lost it.

--/

The genin gained a new respect for one of Konoha's most underestimated clans that afternoon; even the unshakable Naruto, prideful Uchiha, and arrogant Inuzuka.

Harry Potter was never more proud than in that single moment when the little Aburame heir started verbally ripping him a new asshole.

Delighted laughter erupted when the braided gypsy began dodging kikaichu attacks.

* * *

"Harii-san why'd ya rile up Shino so bad earlier?" Naruto asked that evening at dinner.

Harry hummed in thought drawing idle pictures in the rice with chopsticks. _'I need to thank Haku-kun for teaching me how to eat with these things.'_ Something poking him in the ribs brought him back to reality.

"Hmm?"

"Harii-san? Why'd you piss off Shino so bad today?"

Harry frowned and flicked Naruto's nose gently. "Language Naruto-kun. You're only twelve."

Naruto pouted eliciting soft giggles from the females in the room.

"Aburame-kun is still human, no matter what his clan's techniques require of him. I don't particularly care what Konoha's laws state, eleven and twelve year olds are still children and as such should be allowed to act their age. I freely admit Naruto needs to tone it down some but on the other hand Aburame-kun needs to act out more. The words and beliefs of others _should not_ and _do not_ allow them the right to hurt children -- especially not for such asinine reasons as what their bodies contain or who their parents are or when the hell the kid was born! The child had no say in any of those circumstances so they should not be held responsible."

Everyone had quieted at the beginning of Harry's speech and regarded him solemnly afterwards. The atmosphere was leaden with his words, adults and children alike looking guilty and ashamed. Surprisingly, it was Shino who broke the tense quiet.

"Thank you Harii-san. Although I am grateful for your sentiments I am used to the reactions of those ignorant in the ways of the Aburame clan. Most humans fear insects irrationally and we are a clan that not only works with insects but we share our very bodies with them." Shino shrugged – he had resigned himself to that truth before he was six.

Naruto growled loudly, startling the occupants of the room into jumping before he shoved himself to his feet and stormed outside. Ten grooves scored the surface where the blond's hands had laid. Harry's blind eyes stared after Naruto's retreating form; he grasped Sakura's arm when she rose to follow and shook his head silently--now was not the time to go after the boy. Everyone finished their meal soon after, any appetite deserting them with Naruto.

--/

Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Clang! Splash!

"Damnit! Get it together Naruto, there's no need to be freaked. Just because of those stupid villagers and their stupid prejudices...crap!"

Shino followed the vehement swearing to the blond member of Team 7. He hung back in the tree line and watched in surprise as Naruto climbed back on top of the river after falling in. In his hands were kunai while the tree on the opposite bank was scarred and dotted with the ninja tools.

With a valiant effort Naruto bit his tongue, steadied himself on top of the water, and aimed his kunai.

Thunk.

"Oh come on! Why can't I hit the freakin' middle?! It's not that hard!" The kunai rested two inches outside the marked middle, high and to the right. Fuming Naruto readied another kunai and threw.

Clang!

"Sonuva…," he grumbled hotly under his breath. His knife had bounced off the end ring of the previous kunai and now lay innocently at the base of the tree. It was also his last kunai causing the blond to trudge across the water and start collecting his knives.

Shino shifted quietly contemplating whether or not he should leave the moving ocean of chakra alone when his foot brushed against something metal. Glancing down revealed one of Naruto's stray kunai and, taking it as a sign, he picked up the kunai and stepped forward. Naruto started violently and instinctively launched a kunai. Surprisingly, it flew true but Shino easily blocked with his own kunai then bent to retrieve it. By the time Shino stood up again Naruto realized it was him and had put away the knives.

Naruto quietly accepted the extended kunai and put them inside his pouch as well. The silence between them became thick and heavy, Naruto finding his sandals fascinating while Shino calmly stared at his bent head. Eventually it was Shino, again, left to break the silence.

"You throw too quickly. Take the second before you throw to aim exactly where you intend to hit then release."

"Huh?" Startled again, Naruto completely missed what Shino said.

"I said that you are throwing too quickly. If you take the second before you throw to aim at your target then release you will increase your accuracy by a noticeable degree. The way you are throwing currently is better for a barrage of throwing weapons." Shino felt it prudent to explain further.

"Oh. Um…t-thanks." He glanced around, unnerved by the Aburame's presence but he was Naruto Uzumaki and he wasn't going to be intimidated by one of the scariest, quietest boys from the Academy. Or at least he didn't intend to show it.

The blond moved over to another tree and slashed an 'X' into the trunk. Returning to Shino's side he threw his kunai like normal. Again he missed hitting high and to the right of his target. Instead of fuming he took a breath, grabbed another kunai, and threw except this time he paused a split second before releasing to aim. Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly depending, the kunai only missed a little, hitting an inch left of center. Letting out a whoop Naruto tried again. And again. And again.

--/

Thirty minutes later Naruto had moved back into the middle of the river. Thanks to Shino's hint he was regularly hitting closer to the target but he only hit the middle three times. Naruto was not complaining, well he was complaining quietly but, the improvement was so great it negated his feelings about only getting three bulls-eyes.

Shino was still standing on the bank quietly but the quiet had lightened and become friendly; Naruto no longer felt like he was suffocating from the intense silence. The Aburame was impressed to see the blond take the initiative to mix chakra control and accuracy training into one and, amazingly, not be tired after nearly three continuous hours.

Thunk.

"Crap."

Shino discretely sweat dropped. Although his comrade's aim improved after his suggestion Naruto still regularly missed. He finally realized that the blond extended his wrist too far while throwing, bending his wrist to the right before releasing. When he attempted to correct himself he released too soon and sent the kunai to the left.

Clang! Splash!

"Sorry sonofa--!" Naruto shouted before the water covered his head. The kikai user was convinced he could see the water steaming over the submerged ninja. Shino collected Naruto's knives while said blond clambered back onto the surface of the water, slipping and splashing as his anger threw off his control. He was surprised to see a pair of blue sandals in front of him and looked up; Shino stood over him, hand extended to help him up. Blue eyes blinked up in surprise causing Shino to retract his hand—before it had moved so much as an inch a small tan hand, heavily calloused gripped his larger pale one.

Naruto made it to his feet and in moments had steadied himself again on the surface. He grinned in thanks when Shino handed him his kunai. He returned them to his pouch but looked curiously at Shino when he kept one.

"Naruto, watch how I throw and try to mimic me," Shino softly ordered. Naruto complied, moving to the side to see better. Shino's throw was picture perfect and the kunai embedded itself in the middle of the target. Confused, Naruto turned to his companion.

"I'm not sure what I'm missin'. Sorry." Again Naruto found his sandals fascinating, embarrassed that he couldn't understand what he was doing wrong.

Shino cleared his throat gaining Naruto's attention. "It's fine. Take one of your kunai and go through the motions but do not release. I will correct you."

Blue eyes expressed their gratitude while Naruto gave a weak smile. No one was interested in helping him without something in return. He didn't want to believe it of Shino, especially after what he said at dinner but still…the quiet boy's parents had to know about the fox and it was all but guaranteed that they had done like everyone else and passed their hate down to their child. However, he understood that he didn't have the abilities to be a good ninja yet and Shino was offering to help. All he could do was pray that he wasn't willingly walking into another Mizuki incident.

--/

In another hour in which nothing happened aside from Shino professionally altering his grip, his stance, and the way he threw Naruto was successfully hitting the bulls-eye four times out of ten. Even then, the other six times were only and inch or less from center.

Finally, Naruto tired from the continuous training and the boys retreated to the bank; however, neither of them wanted to return yet. Instead they wandered for five minutes and found a clearing with a clear view of the waxing gibbous moon and stars. Naruto gracelessly flopped onto his back, tucking his hands behind his head and gazed quietly at the moon. In contrast Shino gracefully folded himself into a sitting position, his large coat covering his knees and making him look like he had been swallowed by his coat.

"Why?"

The quiet question, barely breathed, floated into the air between them not truly disturbing the encompassing silence. Shino glanced over at the supine blond, eyebrow cocked in query.

"Why are you helping me?" Quietly, the blond explained.

Shino shrugged minutely. "Why shouldn't I? We are both loyal shinobi of Konoha."

The quiet descended between them again. Shino turned to contemplate the calm face of the village's pariah. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed, the odd whisker-esque marks gently bending around his still baby fat pudgy cheeks. Thin lips were parted just enough to allow him easy breathing as demonstrated by the even rise and fall of the blond's chest.

"Why did you react so at dinner?" The question on Shino's mind accidentally slipped passed his lips and he tensed in anticipation, silently chastising himself for his slip.

One large blue eye opened to look at the Aburame boy. After a few moments contemplation he shrugged. "No one should be used to somethin' like that bug-boy. Especially since ya got a family and everythin' to look after you. Like Harii-san said, it ain't right." The answer, said softly, was tainted with bitterness and Naruto's luminous blue eye shut again.

"But aren't you Naruto? I have seen the way the villagers react to your presence, how can you say you aren't resigned to their actions?" The kikai user pressed on, mentally resigning himself to having the peaceful camaraderie with the strange boy broken. Tensed muscles markedly relaxed when, instead of shouting or leaving, the blond answered him.

"There's a difference between bein' resigned and bein' acceptin' of it. I've never accepted what they've been doin' Shino -- the Hokage Monument should be proof enough of that. I wanna be Hokage not just to be looked at with kind eyes but also to protect the villagers. To show them that I ain't the hated demon child they think I am. You've all but admitted that ya accept what the villagers do to ya and your family bug-boy. That's what pissed me off."

Shino just watched the blond enigma lying next to him, Naruto's words tumbling through his mind.

Naruto spoke up again a few moments later, worried that Shino had taken offense earlier. "Maa, we've never talked much before. Why so talkative now?"

Shino, preoccupied, said the first thing to cross his mind, "You're loud, both vocally and visually."

"Huh?!"

Embarrassed, Shino hurriedly explained what he meant. "Aburames have heightened senses due to the kikai within their bodies. We are susceptible to loud sounds and bright colors and you provide both in large quantites. It's not a matter of disliking you personally it is just that your presence causes me discomfort."

Naruto gaped at Shino. Of all the reasons in all the elemental countries he did not expect something so simple to be the reason for Shino's dislike_. 'I cause him pain 'cause I'm so loud? Why does no one bother tellin' me these things?! I don't try to hurt folks; I woulda tried to tone it down.'_

Shino shifted and Naruto snapped out of it. "Why didn't ya just tell me? It's not like I try to hurt ya. If you'd've just told me I would've at least quieted down, or honestly tried. I can't do anythin' about my clothes but, geez bug-boy, I ain't that scary."

Noticing that Shino still wore his sunglasses even in the middle of the night Naruto pulled off his jacket and flipped it inside out before tying it around his waist. Underneath the jacket he wore a tight black t-shirt with a red flame spiral on the back. Shino could not help but notice how the seams across the shoulders were strained, the fabric thin and worn, and he remembered Naruto's earlier remark, "I can't do anythin' about my clothes." _'Do the villagers interfere with Naruto's ability to obtain clothing? I will bring it to father's attention when we return. By not providing Naruto with appropriate clothing and weaponry they are maliciously interfering with Konoha's military. In the extreme they could be charged with treason depending on how wide their misdeeds are spread.'_

"Oi, Shino! You awake in there? We should probably head back now; I'll bet your team is worried about ya." Shino blinked; surprised to see Naruto's face just inches from his own. It disturbed him how the normally loud genin was able to get so close while he was lost in his thoughts. Naruto stood back up with a grin and held out his hand to give Shino help up.

"Your team is undoubtedly worried too." Shino replied. He grasped Naruto's hand and was pulled to his feet. Once standing he discretely wiped off the back of his coat, missing the face Naruto made to his remark, then followed next to Naruto. A few moments later Naruto stopped and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Um…you wouldn't happen to know which way would ya?"

Unknown to Naruto, Shino smiled behind his collar before heading off to the northeast. Naruto followed.

--/

Sensing someone waiting just outside the bridge builder's home Shino told Naruto to continue inside. Then he waited.

A few moments later, long enough for Naruto to have returned upstairs, the braided traveler stepped out from the shadows at the side of the house. Shino unconsciously tensed—he had not realized who or where the person was, just that someone was waiting. The beads scattered throughout the numerous braids made not a whisper of a sound.

"Ah, Aburame-kun, I was hoping to speak with you. I hope my words earlier did not cause offense. For some reason I find my self preaching my views when presented with children still able to change their opinions on life." The words were softly spoken and sincere but Shino remained tense. His colonies expressed their unease at the situation and the person to him although they could not explain clearly why.

"I took no offense; however, Harii-san I was wondering if you could explain how you realized I had marked your accomplice with one of my kikai?" Shino asked pointedly.

Harry cocked his head to the side contemplating exactly what to say. He was on thin ice and knew it. "The kikaichu absorb chakra. In order to do this they themselves must be void of chakra. If you suppress your chakra almost completely, not all the way but mostly, then scan for a void in the chakra you can pinpoint the kikai."

Shino's blank face hid his surprise at the frank answer. "Why did you not just destroy the kikai if you knew about it? Why place it on Naruto-kun?" He realized his slip when a black eyebrow cocked and lips quirked softly.

"I think Naruto-kun would like to know that he has another friend available. He has so few of them. Even his teammates are not truly included in his list of friends because Hatake refuses to honestly enforce his code of teamwork. Haruno hits him whenever she is displeased and Uchiha-hime regularly degrades him and decries his dreams as rubbish. And Hatake stands on the side and does nothing to reprimand his subordinates for their deplorable behavior." Harry shook his head briskly. "However, I digress. Why did I not kill your little kikai? Because I felt there was nothing to gain from doing so and by placing it on Naruto I ensured you and your team would arrive in a timely fashion."

"Why?"

Harry sighed softly. '_I did not mean to confuse the boy, but it is encouraging.'_ "Young one, you are correct in that I have not admitted even half the reasons I am here but I can promise you that I mean you, your little Leafs, and Tazuna's family no harm. I cannot say much more but I ask that you keep in mind the idiot Hatake's little motto, 'Not everything is as it seems.' However, I should warn you I will be leaving in a few days time and something will occur not long after. Be ready but do not jump to conclusions Aburame-kun."

With that Harry bowed and entered the house. Shino remained for a time discussing with his colonies before entering as well. He would wait a few days and watch the traveler before he decided what to do with the information.

* * *

So, what do you think? Drop a review, I really do listen. Just ask AbeoUmbra or Steven Kodaly!

If you read my other stuff I am working on D5, APT, Nibbles, FSS, and Heart of Fire simultaneously. Nibbles, FSS, and HoF are NOT posted yet. However, I have all of them up and running in the background and I'm bouncing around them as the inspiration strikes. Go figure, Spring Semester ends and suddenly the floodgates open up. Congrats people, expect better updates than 1 time a year.


	9. Bridge Scene I

**08 Bridge Scene I  
**

**5/27/2008 -- 3162 words**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (Rowlings) or Naruto (Kishimoto).

AN: You remember that hint I gave you a couple chapters back? -laughs evilly-

Warnings: Minor swearing, bastardization of canon, use of Japanese suffixes and one or two different words. Fight scenes. Urgh...

**6/15/2008** -- I finally got around to cleaning up the Haku he/she thing. Yes it is intentional but some of my placements were incorrect. PS: Haku is MALE! Period, end of story. There is a reason behind the madness here though - Haku, Harry, and Zabuza know, the Leafs don't. I'm just playing on their ignorance.

* * *

As Harry said, a few days later he disappeared during the night. Neither of the jounin noticed him leaving much less the genin. Shino kept quiet about his midnight conversation with the strange man. Something, maybe the blind man's stark earnestness, caused him to trust Harri-san's words enough not speak. Although, the almost too perceptive glances his new…friend?... sent his way that morning over breakfast suggested he had some inkling of Shino's deception. However, Naruto never said anything to him and continued on his daily routine with no obvious changes. Well, if one ignored how he started wearing his jacket inside out after the late night with Shino. Sakura nearly caved his skull in when she found out the hideous orange jacket was reversible.

_**--two days later--**_

Harry sat cross-legged on the underside of the incomplete bridge. He had to give the old man credit, Tazuna was a master at his craft and truly charismatic when he was not eyeball deep in cheap sake. Even without the old man huffing and puffing at their backs a good half dozen men had shown up to work on the bridge. _'Too bad for them this is one day they really should've stayed home.'_

Grunts and thuds followed on the heels of his thought as tendrils of thick, clingy mist slowly crawled over the sides of the bridge. Harry sighed softly to himself, scarf tails fluttering below him in a gentle breeze off the river before they stopped suddenly, the breeze unnaturally stilled.

'_So the stage is set and Act One is begun. The little Leaves should be showing up within the hour and Act Two shall start then. Simultaneously, Gatou's spineless worms will be headed off to the daughter's house in Act Two, Scene Two. The script stops there though, and from then on we will be ad libing. For our sakes, I hope we are skilled enough actors that none shall know until the final curtain falls.'_

In the back of his head he could feel/hear/taste the malicious rolling of thunder that symbolized Shichibi's laughter. Dread crawled along Harry's skin.

'_Please be careful Chibi-kun, Bug boy. I don't want to find your deaths written into the script.'_

--

Fate was an interesting entity. Something neither male nor female yet so huge and all encompassing that none could escape its grasp. Think of a huge computer program. Subject One has specific variables entered in about him or her and the program runs, crunches all the numbers, analyzes all the possibilities based on the provided information, and spits out an end result. The end result could be one of thousands where just one variable was the difference between getting an end result of 13 or one of 49.

A highway system could be used as well. Subject 1 starts at point A, chooses his direction, and drives. Small towns, big cities, perfect little suburbs, all scattered along the highway system, all possible ending points for Subject 1. The make of car, amount of money, quantity of gas, personality, and the land mass were the variables that decided in the end where Subject 1 would stop. Change one and the possible endings changed with it.

But with both, although the endings could vary wildly, there were points reaching the ending where a large number of lines crossed in a nexus point. Each option available to Subject 1 contains a nexus point at some point that _would_ occur. No ifs, no ands, no buts.

In Naruto's case, he still suffered mild chakra exhaustion the night before the attack on the bridge and Kakashi Hatake still left him behind to sleep it off. Gatou still sent his two blood thirsty mindless goons, Tsunami was attacked, Inari found his courage and fought back, Naruto came to the rescue easily defeating the goons, and Inari had his faith restored in heroes of all makes and models.

As Naruto raced frantically towards the bridge where his comrades were certainly under attack he exited the nexus point none the wiser. Fate merely took the information provided by the nexus and continued plotting out possibilities.

--

One variable changed the scene that was expected to take place at the bridge and it went by the name of Harry James Potter. The presence of his snakes when the Demon Brothers attacked tilted Kakashi Hatake's paranoia enough to make him send back a request for backup. His direct interference prevented the follow up attack by the Demon of the Mist and his protégé which directly prevented Kakashi Hatake from exhausting both Zabuza and himself. Harry taught six little Leaves how to both tree and water walk and did all but beat basic survival instincts into the Kyuubi container.

Because of the presence of Harry James Potter it was not one under equipped team of genin taking on one ex-ANBU and his unofficially jounin level fake hunter-nin apprentice. Instead, Kurenai, who had only been promoted to jounin two months before taking on a genin team, Hinata Hyuuga, a girl with huge potential under stress but extreme self-esteem issues, and Sakura, a civilian daughter turned ninja who was slowly realizing what being a shinobi was all about, stood guarding Tazuna and the unconscious workmen.

Kakashi still squared off against the Demon of the Mist as the only Leaf able to fight him on equal footing. However, because of Harry preventing their first attack, Zabuza was still mildly apprehensive about the abilities the Sharingan gave his opponent – sans the potential to see far into the future. Zabuza had mistakenly let his misgiving slip in the presence of his second apprentice who laughingly explained that nothing could predict the future _but_, years of honed instinct and an abnormally sharp eye could pick up the minute signals a body gave off to accurately guess a man's future movements. Harry had been left running himself ragged for laughing at the Demon of the Mist but he was, privately to never be admitted even under torture, that he was grateful for the little gaki's information.

Kiba had charged head long at Haku and engaged herin taijutsu. When a short, solid kick to the sternum sent Kiba flying back, Sasuke leapt in to fill the void not giving the fake hunter-nin time to rest. Shino, not strong in taijutsu, directed his kikai to harry the two enemy nin. He only had a few colonies worth of kikaichu though so the damage he could inflict was limited.

Akamaru, the little white puppy familiar to Kiba, attacked the ice-nin's legs. The enemy was faster than his partner or the other boys but if he could damage or sever the tendon in the heel or the ligaments connecting the knee to the leg the ice-nin would no longer be able to stand. Unfortunately, he and Kiba had not been able to complete learning the Beast Mimicry jutsu before being sent on this mission.

He yelped sharply when the ice-nin kicked him in the ribs hard, sending him flying into the bridge railing opposite the bug-nin on his partner's team. Stunned from the blow, he almost did not smell the dry, dusty scent of snake before a massive body start curling around him. He managed to let off one sharp warning bark before the squeezing became too much and he fainted.

"Shit! Shino, Uchiha watch out! There are snakes here, one just got Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, infuriated that he couldn't protect his partner. His nails raked across the porcelain mask of the false hunter-nin leaving scratch marks in his wake. A kunai flew past his shoulder but the enemy easily knocked it away with a senbon. Haku simultaneously hit both Leaves with a palm thrust to the chest, shoving them back. Her hands flew through seals before thin slivers of ice started forming from the scattered puddles, caused by previous attacks, and rose into the air, poised like a thousand razor thin swords of Damocles.

--

Shino saw the thousand ice senbon rise into the air and immediately directed his kikai to abandon the two nin to instead drain the chakra from the senbon before they could be launched against his comrades. He never got the chance.

A steel band, someone's arm, wrapped itself around his neck and pulled, cutting off his air supply. Before he could command his kikai to defend something thin and silky wrapped around his wrists stopping the flow of his chakra. His assailant wrenched his leg out from under him and he fell to his knees, the chakra sealing band moving onto his ankles, effectively binding him in place. The seal slipped under his jacket and wrapped itself once, twice around his waist. Not only were his extremities now prevented from molding chakra but his core was prevented from generating more than what was necessary for basic life support of himself and his kikai.

"Ah, ah, ah Buggy. I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see, if you send your kikai outside your body right now they'll have to cross the suppression barrier. For bugs that are chakra voids, if they cross the line the tiny amount that give your kikai life will be suppressed out of them and bye-bye buggies. And, as an Aburame, you can't survive for more than forty eight hours if eighty percent or more of your kikai population dies." A smooth voice, achingly familiar, whispered next to his ear.

"Who are you?" Shino asked.

He jerked backwards, startled, from a pair of large, luminous green eyes. The pupils had contracted to pin prick proportions from suddenly removing his scarf from around his eyes. For that was who it had to be, the blind man Harii, if the beaded braids hanging by his face was anything to go by.

"Harii-san?"

The green eyes danced merrily as the face dipped in a nod. Calloused fingers gently brushed the bug-nin's face and pushed the sunglasses back to their original perch then drew away.

"I apologize for this Shino-kun but I can't let you interfere with Haku-chan right now. The play has only just begun and our main villain has yet to arrive on stage. I don't want any of you little Leaves as casualties in this little grudge match though. Now, I can either gag you or you can agree to be a cooperative little hostage and stay quiet. Oh!" The last was a startled exclamation as Harii-san turned to face away from him and towards the jounin fight. Shino could feel his skin crawl at the sudden bestial growl that erupted from Harii-san's chest. "Damn that scarecrow!"

Hands flashed through a short chain of seals. "**Hidden Technique: Clinging Mist Tendrils**!"

"My duty, besides keeping you little Leaves alive, is to maintain the **Hiding Mist** technique and protect my comrades," Harry explained in an aside to Shino as he concentrated on his technique. With a quick twist and stab of his hand the mist surrounding the battling jounins twisted and speared down between the combat locked forms forcing them apart.

--

Cold grey mist became clingy, sticking and curling around Hatake's ankles slowing him down. Zabuza smirked at his opponent when the Copy-nin stumbled from the clinging mist. Kubikiri Houcho swung from shoulder to hip and crimson sprayed in its wake. Hatake gasped and stumbled backwards, clutching the wound crossing his chest. Zabuza laughed maliciously as he stepped backwards into the mist, disappearing.

--

A feminine grunt jerked Harry's head to the left where Haku was fighting the two little Leaves. Evidently Kiba and Sasuke had gotten a combo through Haku's defenses. Harry snickered behind his hand. "Haku-chan is pissed," he sing-songed. Next to him Shino twitched.

"**Ice Style: Demonic Ice Mirrors!**"

As a dome of rectangular ice mirrors formed around and above the two Leaf genin Harry grinned. "Mah, those two won't be coming out unscathed. Not to worry though, I can feel Naruto-kun approaching so our play nearing the Third Act."

"You are not behaving in the same manner as before," Shino observed softly. "Most nin would not explain their actions to their enemies."

"Ah, but Shino-kun, who said I was an enemy? Not all is what it seems bug-boy. You children are just a means to an end for us and we want you to survive the experience. As for the attitude, well…I always get excited in battle," he breathed hotly against Shino's ear. The Aburame squirmed uncomfortably from the foreign sensation.

--

Kiba's eyes widened in surprise as the ice-nin backed into one of the mirrors as if it was liquid. His kunai bounced off the solid block of ice that the nin was standing inside.

"What the hell?!" he shouted. He was feeling off center without Akamaru by his side but for his partner's sake he just fought harder. The Uchiha was keeping up well, while their moves and personalities clashed they still managed to mesh their attacks enough to force their opponent to use such a powerful technique.

"Uchiha, it's ice. Can your fire melt it?" he barked the order.

Sasuke scowled at the mutt before facing the ice mirror containing Haku and held his hands to his mouth. "**Fire Style: Grand Fireball**!"

The fireball hit, curled around the mirror for a few moments then dispersed with nothing to show for the effort. He bit back a curse as the woman in the mirror laughed and then the laughter multiplied. Both genin stood back to back as they were surrounded by the senbon happy female.

"Anymore bright ideas Inuzuka?" Sasuke snarled. Kiba growled, ready to retort, when a barrage of senbon rained on them from all sides. Both boys ducked and weaved but with senbon flying from point blank range in every direction they were still struck in multiple places.

With a pained grunt Kiba dropped to his knee as his senbon studded left leg gave out. Sasuke wasn't in much better shape with senbon sticking out of his back and arms like an obscene pin cushion. Haku sighed audibly, disappointment thick in the exhalation. "I was expecting something better for genin from the Leaf Village."

The false hunter-nin partially emerged from the mirror directly behind the two injured genin, ready to end the battle. Haku backpedaled swiftly as a kunai passed before his mask and he grabbed it out of the air before it passed too far.

"Sasuke! Kiba! You two okay?" a rough voice yelled in concern.

--

"Naruto," Shino exclaimed, as much as an Aburame could.

Harry smiled happily. "And so our hero has joined the cast. Now to introduce him to the main conflict." Joy absolutely dripped from the last statement as Harry's hands flew through a familiar set of seals.

"**Hidden Technique: Clinging Mist Tendrils**!"

Shino closed his eyes behind his sunglasses, pained that he had been taken down so easily and could no longer help his comrades. Five kikai rested on the ground under him, scouts sent to test the blind man's words. He'd been right, as soon as the kikaichu crossed the barrier line the minor amount of chakra inside their bodies had been readily suppressed to the point of their deaths.

Harry twisted his hand in different way than before, a scooping and thrusting motion.

--

Naruto flew through the gap between two mirrors and landed in a heap next to Sasuke and Kiba.

"Dobe, what are you doing? We could have gotten out if you had stayed on the other side," Sasuke snarled at his dazed teammate. Naruto stood up and glared at the Uchiha.

"It wasn't my damn fault! The mist threw me inside!"

Kiba glanced up. "The mist? It must be another jutsu. Someone else is here, not just this chic and Zabuza. Whoever they are got Shino and Akamaru as well."

"I thought a snake had gotten the mutt."

Kiba growled at Sasuke. "A snake caught Akamaru but it wasn't an accident that those things were here _now_ when we're under attack. Someone is controlling them."

Naruto and Sasuke shared a shocked look over Kiba's head. "Harii-san," they realized simultaneously. The genin were forced to move from a sudden hail of senbon. Kiba shouted once in pain before his form slumped, dead or unconscious with a pair of needles sticking out of his neck.

Naruto turned to check on the Inuzuka but another senbon barrage forced him back. While his clones kept the other boys busy Haku darted out of his mirror nearest the downed dog-nin and picked him up, dropping him outside his -Haku's- mirror dome. Mission accomplished, Haku slipped back inside his mirrors. He watched for a moment from the outer side of his mirror as a thick rope of mist curled around the Leaf-nin and drew the limp body back into the encompassing fog.

--

"Hmm, good job Haku-chan," the braided man murmured as his mist presented him with the Inuzuka. Harry reached inside his jacket and pulled out a handful of ofuda. One was wrapped around each extremity while a fifth was placed against Kiba's abdomen. Applying his chakra the boy's ankles were bound together as were his wrists. Only after the Inuzuka was bound did Harry unseal the tool roll necessary to remove the senbon safely from the child's neck.

Shino flinched back from the pliers Harii pulled out. "Don't worry Shino-kun. I'm just removing his death state before it becomes permanent."

--

It was rare for two nexus points to exist immediately next to one another. If Naruto had chosen to flee between Tazuna's home and the bridge the nexus point could have easily been avoided but he didn't. Immediately after being pushed inside the ice mirrors and the scion of the Inuzuka's was removed the nexus point was reached.

No matter what variable was entered now, Sasuke would be rendered either dead or death-like and the seal would weaken under Naruto's unleashed emotions, summoning forth his tenant's power. Haku would eventually be lamed by his kind heart and Naruto would be driven to kill him by Haku's gentle pleading.

--

As the red faded from Naruto's eyes and his mind cleared of Kyuubi's influence, his grip firming on the kunai, he ran forward for the final strike on a person he could have easily been friends with.

Screaming like a thousand raucous birds ripped through the air over the bridge and Haku, begging soft forgiveness, fled towards his master. Harry, watching over the captured genin, vanished in a clap of thunder.

Kakashi's shocked gasp heralded the dispersion of the unnatural fog…

* * *

-laughs- Do you hate me yet? My muses are up and working so expect the next chapter soon-ish.

Leave a review, you know I listen. Plus, tell me what you think about the feel of the chapter. Does it feel like a proper fight scene? **6/15/2008** - some hate it and some love it. I got to constructive criticisms going both ways. I'll try to keep the next chapter consistent!

**Hidden Technique: Clinging Mist Tendrils**: A complementary technique to the technique Zabuza uses to generate his fog (dubbed **Hiding Mist** technique by me). The user saturates the fog with their chakra and then molds the mist into ropes or vines to bind their opponents. If the chakra isn't molded, just left to saturate the mist, then the mist becomes clingy, slowing down the users opponent(s).


	10. Bridge Scene II

**10 Bridge Scene II  
**

**6/18/2008 -- 3558 words  
**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (Rowlings) or Naruto (Kishimoto).

AN: -laughs-

Warnings: Minor swearing, bastardization of canon, use of Japanese suffixes. More fight scenes...tell me how these feel would ya? PS - I'll get the chapter numbers right eventually.

* * *

Kakashi's shocked gasp heralded the dispersion of the unnatural fog.

"Wha…"

His fist was buried to the wrist in the chest of the annoying braided pest Harii, blood spattered across his face and soaking his chest. Green eyes that reminded him uneasily of the leaves of Konoha's forests at the height of spring, so lush a color now faded and dull. Harii coughed, and he could feel the muscles contract around his hand obscenely as the foamy blood drippled out of Harii's slack lips. No matter how much blood he had shed, it had never felt quite so warm, so slick before and Kakashi knew he'd be suffering screaming nightmares for this.

Harii had appeared from nowhere. One moment he had a clear shot at finishing Zabuza and utilized his original assassination technique, the next moment the pseudo-hunter-nin had appeared before Zabuza by emerging from a mirror of ice. No matter how much time slowed for him at that time, the **Chidori **was a quick attack that once started was not truly stoppable and he didn't have nearly enough time to divert his attack. However, before he could impale the effeminant child another body appeared before them both, braced and ready for his attack.

The first thing to strike him about his victim after the arcs of lightning dispersed were those brilliant green eyes swimming with pain.

--

Haku swallowed and iron flooded his mouth. A moment later it struck him that it was Harii-kun's blood, Harii-kun who was standing before him impaled on the Leaf-nin's arm. It was Harii-kun's warm blood soaking the front of his kimono, sticking to his skin. His blood sliding down his face in a morbid parody of tears.

He was Zabuza-sama's tool and so was Harii-kun. A person didn't cry when their tool broke, they were expendable, easily replaced. It was the rule he'd lived by since Zabuza-sama saved him so many years ago.

So why couldn't he see clearly anymore?

--

Zabuza watched on, shocked at Harii's actions. Haku he could understand, he knew was loyal to him only and viewed his life as worthless. But Harii…

Harii never viewed himself as worthless. Weak, potentially burdensome, but never worthless. The one time he had suggested to the boy he was worth nothing the brat had summoned his snakes from left, right, and center to corner him. Some of the nastiest varities available in Wave had arrived, just waiting for the command to strike. No, Harii was never worthless.

And when he had explained who he was and how he arrived…Zabuza was certain the boy was mad. It was only speaking with the monstrosity housed inside the fragile boy that convinced him even a little of what Harii said. Now…

Now his face was wet and sticky with his subordinate's blood, who stood impaled on the hand of Sharingan Kakashi, and it looked as if Harii's mission would never be completed.

Except…

--

"Stupid human," a truly beastial voice drawled, "I don't enjoy my host but I won't let you destroy it! I won't let you have what's mine – Shichibi no Youko's!"

Golden slitted eyes glittered with malicious humor as a clawed hand grabbed his forearm and yanked his fist free of the young boy's chest. The squelch and splatter of blood was loud in the sudden silence. Kakashi stepped back and watched in horrified fascination as the bloody hole in the boy's chest knit shut, sealing away the sight of white ribs, burnt muscle, and mangled heart.

"How? How can you--?" the jounin stuttered.

"—Still be alive? Simple fleshling, I won't let my host die by the hand of an ignorant, insignifigant, lightning wielder. I plan on keeping my little vessel alive as long as I can, even if it means I'm stuck with the little martyr-boy for a centuries," the fox spirit explained in a voice like poisoned honey.

Leaning back Shichibi smirked at the gawking Leaf and rubbed where the wound had been, pleased to see the large start burst scar left behind – maybe his host would remember the consequences of martyrdom.

Still grasping the arm of the weak meat bag Shichibi indolently turned his head to look at the ice boy and human demon. A mocking smirk slowly curled his vessel's lip, elongated fang flashing in the light, as he took in the beaten, battered, bloody forms. With his free hand he vaguely pointed to where the bound genin lay. "Watch the small worms, I wish to play with this one," Shichibi cruely twisted Kakashi's arm, "until the weak little ball of fat and flesh arrives."

As Zabuza and Haku moved towards the bound forms, submissive in the face of the intelligent, sadistic demon, Naruto finally stirred from his stupor.

"What do ya think you're doin' ya stupid fox?!"

"Playing, vessel of my sire. I'm going to play with this little bitty flesh wad until the disgusting worm Gatou arrives for daring to try and strike _me_ down with lightning! No, I'm going to show this miserable human exactly what it means to wield lightning," he chuckled, quickly escalating into mad cackling as Kakashi started screaming from the electricity coursing through his body.

It went on for minutes, one moment the gray haired nin was screaming and drawn taut in pain, the next he was sagging as much as he could with the grip the possessed boy was keeping on his arm, body shaking and writhing in residual pain.

Naruto couldn't take it anymore, watching the creature torture his sensei wearing the skin of one of his precious people. That same, fiery burning sensation filled with hate and bloodlust and the need for pain, pain, pain! surged forward singing in his veins and tinting his world red. His hands flexed, snapping and cracking as the bones elongated and fingernails became claws, his feet and legs breaking and changing as well, forcing him into a crouch. The iron tang of blood filled his mouth as his jaw expanded to fit the larger, sharper fangs. Everything became sharper and suddenly it was just Kakashi-sensei screaming, but the wet gurgle behind the scream of his throat torn and bloody, the sickening scent of cooking meat, and the snapping of bones and joints as he jerked like a fish out of water.

There was no thinking. One moment he was twenty feet behind his sensei, another and his fist slammed into Shichibi-Harii's cheek, bones cracking and blood flying from split lips and nose, head snapping around to an unnatural angle. His fist seemed planted as he swung his leg around into a bone jarring roundhouse to the ribs, before the demon possessed body flew backwards, shock written across the demonic face. Kakashi dropped with a shout, body uncontrollably shaking as Kurenai ran to check on her comrade.

The crack was sharp, sickening, and a little wet as Shichibi slowly righted his head, repairing the snapped bones and torn nerves as he went. He cocked his head to the side, the gesture obscene when compared to the angle it had been, considering the tiny blond vessel. Bloody chakra wrapped the child in a vile blanket of anger and hate, enhancing him past the abilities of the jounin but still below his own control. His vessel was still technically his body, Shichibi knew all the minute details of it while the Kyuubi brat was possessed by something without that minute understanding slowing it down. Maybe when the little vessel was older…

He ducked another fist to his face, jumped over a sweeping kick aimed at his legs, and grasped another kick to his ribs. Shichibi missed the flat footed short kick to the sternum that threatened to break under the sudden pressure. Gripping Naruto's calf hard he pivoted and slammed the boy into the stone railing. It was satisfying watching the impudent brat spew blood from the hit. Smirking, he hauled the boy through the air and into his upraised knee, the pained gasp music to his ears. With speed enhanced by his demonic chakra he repeatedly hammered his knee into the child's chest and abdomen, blood spurting from his mouth and pooling on the bridge floor.

"NO!"

With a single-mindedness reminiscent of his tenant Naruto lashed out with his claws and sank them knuckle deep into the flesh of Shichibi's leg. He wrenched down, ripping the muscles like slippery, wet tissue paper. Shichibi howled and Naruto's fanged smile was a rictus of feral pleasure. Slipping his claws free he jumped back and away, crouching down onto all fours and watching his injured prey.

Sudden clapping jarred both demon possessed children from their bloodlust.

They slowly rose to their feet, turning around to see who dared to interrupt their battle, murder in their inhuman eyes.

--

"It seems you've been beaten badly…You disgust me Harii-san," a short, fat little man with a bandaged arm sneered. His eyes cast over to the side where a bloody, weaponless Zabuza and battered, exhausted Haku stood over the small collection of genin. "And you as well Zabuza."

Zabuza, his facial bandages cut off during his earlier fight, growled. "What do you and your thugs want Gatou?"

Tapping his cane lightly against the stone floor Gatou considered his answer for a moment but with the contigent of mercenaries behind him he felt secure in his standing. "If I hired official ninja it would cost me a lot of money so I hired an exiled ninja like you and your boy instead. Then, the little blind boy arrived and his skills cost me little. But, if you ninja had just killed each other as planned you would have saved me a lot of trouble and money."

Gatou looked over the twitchy Hidden Leaf jounin on the ground with the woman hovering over him. Two girls, nothing particularly threatening, guarded the bridge builder. Another two, boys, were safely bound to the side with a tiny dog unconscious near them. The only other threats were the two boys who had been fighting when he arrived and it was obvious they were in no condition to fight. This would prove too easy.

"You call yourself the Demon of the Bloody Mist? You're just a small devil if you ask me," he mocked the injured nukenin. That massive knife he always held was teetering on the opposite side of the bridge, a stiff wind would send it plunging into the depths of the sea. Zabuza was no threat.

"Naruto-kun, Shino-kun, I'm sorry, but the battle ends here. The curtain has finally risen on the final Act of our play with the arrival of our master villain. We no longer have to play this charade of killing Tazuna since our real objective has been met. Zabuza-sama, please allow me the pleasure of rending the little worm limb from limb," the no longer possessed Harry announced. Smirking with glee, even gentle Haku, Zabuza waved his uninjured arm signaling his consent to continue.

"Naruto-kun, my apologies. It seems my own demon was eager to engage another of his kind. Mayhaps one day it will be safe to let our demon's desires reign but for now we must put them on hold. However, tell me Naruto-kun, how does the idea of getting revenge for the people of Wave sound?"

The blond swayed on his feet with the sudden disappearance of the red chakra but it only took a second to reorient himself. Raising his arms above his head and stretching, he hid his face while he smirked at Harii. Green eyes blinked slowly in response as Naruto stretched backwards languidly, cracking the vertebrae in his spine back into place. He didn't have a lot of chakra left because of how much red chakra he used and then the intense healing session he underwent as it withdrew but, it was more than enough to dispatch Gatou's goons. Done, he returned to an upright, loose starting stance, deceptively relaxed as he crossed his hands in his favorite position.

"**Multi Shadow Clone Technique**!"

--

The loud 'pop' and burst of smoke almost as thick as the Hidden Mist technique heralded the arrival of the mini-army of Narutos. Harry smiled at the expectant gleam in the blue eyes of at least 25 Narutos, not including the original's own somewhat malicious glare. It was heart warming to watch the little maggot Gatou back away in fear at the sudden appearance of a large number of trained ninja all dual-wielding kunai. A few eager little clones had as many as eight kunai in their hands. 'Oh, yes, revenge is sweet.'

"So, Gatou, still feeling safe and secure in your deluded little world of corruption and greed? Of bought power and the fear of a defenseless people? How does it feel, little maggot, when you are no longer the Big Bad Bogeyman but are instead the play toy to said person?" It was delightful watching Gatou and his goons shiver in fear at his honeyed words.

"Aww…are ya afraid of what'll 'appen to ya now Gatou? Ya got two fully trained ninja ready ta kick your ass and the people of Wave aren't gonna cower before ya any longer! Ya got nothin' left here jerk!" the original Naruto mocked, all his clones yelling agreement. The original looked over to Harry who swept his hand forward giving the go ahead.

He looked on proudly as the Naruto army surged forward in ragged formation whooping and hollering. Four clones burst on initial contact with the front line, another three dispersed moments after breaching the front and with that the battle was on. It was amazing little free-for-all , when one clone burst the plume of smoke was larger than normal, providing cover for the rest of the Naruto fighters to attack. It was over in a few more minutes, all the goons either unconscious, bound, or lay dead.

As Gatou turned to flee he was stopped by a wall of twelve angry, kunai wielding, orange ninjas. "Goin' somewhere worm?"

"Yes, Gatou-san. Going somewhere? That's so very rude, considering I'm not done talking with you yet. Please, we have much left to discuss concerning your betrayal of us."

"You think you can stop me? I've got men everywhere, it doesn't matter if you stop me, someone else will just take over where I left off," Gatou yelled desperately.

Harry tilted his head in mock thought, green eyes dancing in ill-humor. A slow smile spread across thin chapped lips. "I know someone will Gatou-san. In fact, Zabuza-sama is going to gain control of all your material assests, liquidate the vast majority of them, return a large sum to the people you've sucked dry, and use the rest to fuel Zabuza-sama's desire to overthrow the Mizukage. And you are going to sign this document here turning over all your worldly possessions to Zabuza-sama. Because…," Harry trailed off coyly, letting the maggot's whirling thoughts sink in and take hold—they were undoubtedly much more imaginative than what he could suggest. "Because, if you don't I will show you exactly what I've learned in one year under the tutelage of the Demon of the Bloody Mist and his Ice Warrior. And believe me," his voice took on a sibilant hiss reminiscent of his snakes, "I learned a lot of creative ways to deal with prey like you."

Shaking like a leaf - _'Harry, Harry, Harry, bad pun, very bad pun. No more.'_ – Gatou considered his non-existent options: a) get beaten bloody by the orange monster behind him, be forced to sign the papers, and then die painfully, b) tell the miserable little snake talking bastard to go screw himself and die even more slowly and painfully or, c) willingly sign the boy's contract and die swiftly. It wasn't a hard decision to make, he wasn't deluded enough to think he could escape with his life, much less commit suicide before being forced to sign.

"Fine, I'll sign the damn contract on the condition that I die quick. Got it?"

Harry smirked, pleased at Gatou's words. "Alright Gatou-san, you have a deal. Sign the contract and you'll die quickly." He walked over to stand infront of the little maggot of a man with the contract and a pen extended. Gatou signed the bottom of the papers quickly and tossed the pen back at the arrogant little shit. "Thank you Gatou-san. Naruto-kun, if you would sign right here," he pointed to a line next to Gatou's signature, "then we'll be all set." Shrugging between each other one of the Narutos stepped forward and signed the indicated line.

"Alright Gatou, we're all done here," said mildly, backing away from the little ex-business man and signaled for Naruto to move back to. Gatou, suspicious, looked around to see what caused the nin to retreat but saw nothing. As per the usual of man, he didn't look up and he most certainly didn't look down – he would have seen his death approaching if he had.

He fell with a scream of terror and pain as something sharp bit into his leg. Again and again it struck, leaving a burning sensation behind that became more intense each time. The heat slowly crept through his body leaving pain and shakes in his wake. Gatou was losing control of his body as the heat spread but what was worse was the cold that was taking over his legs now where he'd been bitten.

"W..Wh..Why?" he gasped out. Gatou couldn't see the boy's face but he could hear the evil grin in his answer, "Why, Gatou-san? Simple, you said a quick death, not a painless one. Poison Strike's bite is a quick, if agonizing, death. Do you feel cold yet? You should hope so, that's a sign that the poison is nearing its end -- you'll be dead in another sixty seconds."

--

Harry turned away from the dying man and walked over to Zabuza and Haku. Handing over the contract he swiftly knelt beside Shino and freed him of the bindings. His scarf slithered over Shino's body, up his arm, and returned to its place around his eyes. The darkness was refreshing after the blinding light of the sun. Some light leaked through his wrappings but not much and the sudden transition was very painful.

"Are you alright now Buggy? I hope you heeded my words and your kikai are well."

"Hai, Harii-san. I lost a few scouts but after verifying your words I kept the rest in reserve. How's Kiba?"

"Inuzuka-san is well Aburame-san," Haku announced.

Harry reached around Haku to remove the chakra sealing ofuda from Kiba's body. The young Inuzuka began stirring with the removal of the last one. Akamaru was already up and nuzzling his master's face.

"Haku, help the Copy-Nin."

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." Haku bowed and swiftly moved to the still twitchy Kakashi's side. A quick pressure point knocked the meddlesome red eyed kunoichi out and he immediately started treatment on Kakashi. Although his knowledge on how to treat various degrees of lightning induced injuries was vast, the amount of hands-on experience he had to gain that knowledge was frightening.

Harry retrieved Zabuza's sword, hefting it on his shoulder since Zabuza's main sword arm was too injured to hold his beloved blade. "What now Zabuza-sama?"

"Eh? First, tell the bridge builder that he's safe. Gatou's dead and with him went any contracts on Tazuna's head. Then, we need to find someplace to rest and recover. That thrice damned fox of your's messed the Copy-Nin up bad and he's the one ya need to talk to ta get into Konohagakure. We'll escort you there and then split up if things go according to plan. Otherwise, we'll figure it out then."

The blind nin cocked his head to the side, braids finally chattering with the motion.

"Heh, your beads are talking again brat." Zabuza observed, smirking. It was well known to the other two nuke-nin that Harii's beads fell silent when there was danger present. When they clacked, or talked as Harry called it, everything was well again. Whatever caused the phenomenon wasn't chakra but something els -- Zabuza figured it was whatever energy made his subordinate's chakra naturally heavier than normal.

"Yes, they are aren't they. I'll talk with Tazuna now Zabuza-sama. I suggest you get Haku to look at your arm after he's done with the Leaf, unless you want to give me your sword?"

Harry laughed at the murderous look the Demon of the Mist sent his way as he ran to speak with Tazuna. Personal experience proved baiting demons, while dangerous, was great fun.

* * *

Review, review, review! Tell me how this fight scene stands up. Umm...I know someone reviewed early on who was a snake person (herpetologist?). If you are still reading this how does Gatou's death sound to you? Like something snake venom and/or poison could do?

Oh, and if you think the first couple paragraphs of Gatou's dialog sounds familiar I found a Spanish subbed end of ep. 18 and an English subbed start of ep. 19. I took that and mixed it as needed.


	11. Friendship Forged

**11 Friendship Forged  
**

**4/22/2009 -- 906 words  
**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (Rowlings) or Naruto (Kishimoto).

AN: Real life has been a bitch, just like this chapter. Yes, it's short. I know. Take what you can get. Also, thank you to whomever sent me the PM that asked WHY did Kakashi have to be conscious? He just got the shit beaten out of him by Shichibi - a coma works.

Warnings: Minor swearing, bastardization of canon, use of Japanese suffixes, possible OOC.

* * *

It was decided that Zabuza and Haku would escort Harry to the border of Fire Country along with Teams 7 and 8. Since Kakashi had yet to awaken from Shichibi's attack and two-thirds of the genin were still recovering any help was welcome. With the sudden windfall the outlaw trio obtained at Gatou's death Zabuza was one very important step closer to overthrowing the current Mizukage. Haku would not leave his savior and master but didn't hide his concern over leaving his pseudo-brother in the hands of the Leaf Village. Harry's amusement was not appreciated as evidenced by the massive knot on the back of his head.

"Relax Haku. It was no secret I'd leave to protect the Leaf kit so don't start getting cold feet on me now. Who'll watch over Zabuza-sama and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone if you are busy worrying about me?"

Haku smiled at Harii's gentle scolding. "And who shall watch over you Harii-kun?"

"If Shi doesn't wish me to die he will take care of the more...perilous problems," Harry replied seriously. "Otherwise I'll be fine. You know I don't go looking for trouble."

"It just finds you with stunning accuracy," Haku grumbled.

Harry just laughed.

--------

It was evening and Tazuna-san and Wave were miles behind them. Zabuza had set a grueling pace from the start with the single minded goal of spending as little time with the pathetic Leaf genin as possible. Even the worthless excuse for a jounin kunoichi was panting in exhaustion when he finally called for them to make camp. The only shinobi not about to drop in a pathetic heap were his protégés and the fox brat, although that last was standing more by pride then stamina.

--------

"How ya doin' Shino?" Naruto asked softly.

"I am well Uzumaki. I suffered minimal damage during the attack and my hive has already replaced those lost," the Aburame heir answered softly.

Naruto gave a quiet 'oh' in response and settled down for a few quiet moments before he began minutely fidgeting in place. Curious to his new...acquaintance's disposition Shino asked, "What ails you Uzumaki?"

Naruto's eyes resembled a panicked deer's and he wildly waved his arms in negation. "Nothin's wrong. Uh-uh. I was just wonderin' how ya were doin'. That bastard Zabuza's runnin' our butts ragged is all." Naruto began rubbing the back of his head.

Shino studied his companion.

''When you intentionally tell a lie it is easily detectable. However, when you unintentionally tell one it is nigh impossible to detect. Again Uzumaki, what troubles you this night?"

Naruto quickly looked away as his cheeks flushed making the whisker marks stand out.

Examining the blond's face stirred up a thought. Softly, gently like coaxing a butterfly to land he whispered reassurance to his fellow genin.

"Only I remember the red chakra. Harii-san and his companions saw to Hinata and Kurenai-sensei. They believe the mist never dispersed and thus could not see the change. Kakashi-san has yet to recover from severe electrical damage but due to the nature of the brain his memory is undoubtedly affected. Kiba, Sasuke, and Akamaru were all knocked unconscious prior to your change."

"Oh." Naruto ducked his head, his eyes hidden behind unruly bangs.

Shino observed Naruto's slumped form. While lacking in the area of human interaction it was clear his words were at least partially successful. However, Uzumaki was still upset and he didn't know what the appropriate action was in this setting.

"What do you require to feel better Uzumaki?'' he asked a few moments later. The Aburame heir watched his friend flinch like he expected to be struck. His kikai, which he discretely placed on Naruto earlier, confirmed his suspicions and suddenly it _clicked_ - the reason for Naruto's disquiet.

''The words and beliefs of others _should not_ and _do not_ allow them the right to hurt children -- especially not for such asinine reasons as what their bodies contain or who their parents are or when the hell the kid was born. The child had no say in any of those circumstances so they should not be held responsible." Naruto looked up in confusion. "Do you recall Harii-san saying that at dinner last week? That no matter what my body may contain I am still as human as anyone else?'' Big blue eyes bored into him hope and wariness warring in their depths. "You are just as human as Sasuke or Kiba or I. No matter what your body contains your blood still runs red.'' It concerned him how important it was to comfort Uzumaki. Shino never before felt the need to make someone feel better - not even his own family.

"Would ya be sayin' the same thing if'n it was a demon?" Naruto asked lowly, staring directly into his eyes as if the shades weren't there.

"Would you still attempt to be my friend if you knew the devastation the Kikaichu would wreak should the Aburame ever lose control?'' Shino retorted, in the back of his mind aghast at revealing clan secrets without hesitation.

They stared at each other without blinking for what seemed like ages as the orange light of the campfire licked their faces. The fire gave a sharp crack and the two looked away. They spent the rest of their shift in silence but they knew a friendship was forged that would stand the test of time.

* * *

Leave a review, I listen! Plus, people have frequently mentioned the inconsistency of Naruto's accent. I'll try to clean it up when I have time but the idea is the less stressed he is the more normal an accent. The more stress the worse the accent.


End file.
